Committee on Foreign Affairs

In cooperation with

CONFERENCE

ASSOCIATION COMMITMENTS: WHAT PROGRESS IN REFORMS IN GEORGIA, MOLDOVA AND

14 January 2016 11.15 - 15.45

European Parliament Room: JAN 2Q2

The Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly (patronage of the Bureau of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly) in cooperation with the Open Society European Policy Institute (OSEPI) invite you to a conference on the progress made by Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine in the implementation of political reform commitments under their EU Association Agreements. EU officials, Members of the European Parliament and of the relevant national parliaments and experts from the three countries will assess reform progress and reflect on the way forward. Presentations will be followed by Q&A.

Topics of discussion The conference will draw on the latest research and findings gathered by the Open Society Foundations (OSF) in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine in partnership with local think tanks and NGOs into the state of democratic reforms and the implementation of association commitments. Discussions at the conference will focus on three critical reform priorities – justice, fight against corruption and anti-discrimination and equal treatment – and provide policy recommendations to the EU and national governments.

Programme

Meeting room: JAN 2Q2

11.15 - 12.30

The association commitments – what progress in political reforms

 Elmar Brok, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs

 Heidi Hautala and Victor Dolidze, Co-Presidents of the Euronest PA

 Vĕra Jourová, European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality

 Helga Schmid, Deputy Secretary General and Political Director of the EEAS, on behalf of Federica Mogherini, High Representative/Vice President of the

 Katarina Mathernova, European Commission, Deputy Director General of DG NEAR, on behalf of Commissioner Hahn

 Oleksandr Sushko, Co-chairman of the EU-Ukraine Civil Society Platform under the Association Agreement

12.30 - 13.15 Sandwich lunch Venue: JAN Brasserie (JAN building, 3rd floor)

Meeting room: ASP A5G-2

13.15 - 14.00 Panel I - Justice reform and the rule of law  Sajjad Karim, Chair, Delegation to the EU- and EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committees and the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee  Oleksandr Banchuk, Criminal Justice Coordinator, Centre for Political and Legal Reforms, Ukraine  Vladislav Gribincea, Executive Director, Legal Resource Center, Moldova  Ana Natsvlishvili, Chairwoman, Georgian Young Lawyers Association, Georgia

14.00 - 14.45 Panel II - Anti-discrimination and equal treatment

 Andi Cristea, Chair, Delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee  Tamar Dekanosidze, Strategic Litigation lawyer, Georgian Young Lawyers Association, representing the civil society Equality Coalition, Georgia  Nadejda Hriptievschi, Programmes Director, Legal Resource Center, Moldova  Olena Shevchenko, Head of "Insight" NGO, Ukraine

14.45 - 15.30 Panel III - Fight against corruption  Andrej Plenković, Chair, Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee  Giovanni Kessler, Director General, European Anti-Fraud Office OLAF  Igor Botan, Executive Director, Association for Participatory Democracy ADEPT, Moldova  Eka Gigauri, Executive Director, Transparency International, Georgia  Andriy Kukharuk, Anti-corruption expert, Ukraine

15.30 - 15.45 Concluding Remarks Heidi Hautala and Victor Dolidze, Co-Presidents of the Euronest PA