The final resolution of the Conference

«The Civil Society Forum of the Eastern Partnership: the agenda for Belarus» 

We, the participants of the conference «The Civil Society Forum of the Eastern Partnership: the agenda for Belarus», representatives of Belarusan civil society, highly appreciating the European Commission’s efforts to attract civil society’s structures to participation in the implementation of the Eastern Partnership initiative, 

support the «Belarusan delegates’ proposals to the Forum’s participants and organizers», aimed at creating a procedural and organizational basis for civil society’s full-fledged inclusion in the interaction of the partner countries and the European Union, 

declare our readiness to provide our qualitative and competent expert support in the development and implementation of the Eastern Partnership’s projects concerning all the thematic platforms, 

propose to supplement the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum’s agenda with the following priority directions of work: 

- the platform «Democracy, good governance, stability, and safety»: 

Assistance to sign the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and Belarus, caused by institutional changes in Belarus; 

Institutionalization of the interaction mechanism between the government and civil society through civil society’s participation in the state projects (within the scope of the EaP), including the creation of bilateral commissions (the European Union - Belarus) with participation of civil society in order to estimate and monitor such projects. 

Assistance to develop publicity and transparency of socially significant decisions in the Republic of Belarus through the realization of the right on freedom of speech, citizens’ wide access to information, and development of free mass media. 

Assistance to sign and to subsequently ratify the European Charter of local self-government by the Republic of Belarus, to develop local self-government according to its principles and norms. 

Creation of a favorable legal climate for development of civil society’s structures through its convergence with the European standards of the state’s and society’s interaction. 

Coordination of the agenda and further work of the Civil Society Forum and the Eastern Partnership’s other structures and institutions (including the Euronest parliamentary assembly), as well as other EU institutions. 

- the platform «Economic integration and convergence with the EU policy»: 

Activization of Belarus’ and the European Union’s interaction in order to support Belarus’ affiliation with the World Trade Organization. 

Implementation of an expert estimation of the national rules of law with a view to their conformity with the EU standards in the field of market economy, including through participation in the implementation of the EU specialized programs concerning convergence with the EU norms. 

Assistance to make Belarus join the programs of regional development of small and middle business. 

Assistance to standardize Belarus’ labor and qualification market in conformity with the EU norms. 

- the platform «Environment, climate change and energy safety»: 

Securement of society’s participation in making ecologically significant decisions (in particular, the construction of the atomic power station, etc.) according to the Aarhus and Espoo conventions. 

Priority support of ecologically friendly and energy-saving projects when considering the EaP projects. 

Actualization of the topic of how to overcome the aftermath of the Chernobyl catastrophe within the framework of the Eastern Partnership. 

Assistance of ratify Belarus’ amendment to the Kyoto protocol. 

- the platform «Contacts between people»: 

Removal of infrastructural barriers in development of contacts between citizens of the countries of the Eastern Partnership and the European Union - simplification of the visa regime, availability of grants for visits, support of volunteer movement, youth and school exchanges between the countries, distribution of modern communication technologies, and development of language and computer literacy of the population to the countries-participants of the Eastern Partnership. 

Creation of mechanisms to include Belarus in European educational, scientific, and cultural programs, as well as liquidation of inner Belarusan barriers in using these opportunities. 

Assistance to expand cultural and educational contacts between the countries of the Eastern Partnership in order to form a united humanitarian space of the Eastern Partnership. 

We are ready to coordinate the listed above priorities with priorities which will be suggested by delegations from other countries-participants of the Civil Society Forum. We are ready to reach the necessary compromises when discussing the Civil Society Forum’s agenda. 

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