Andrei Yahorau: in 2013 CET is going to launch an open analytical seminar

He recalled that the Centre for European Transformation carried out a number of research studies which have broadened and deepened understanding of the processes going on in the Belarusan civil society. For instance, IPM Research Center with the assistance of the Center for European Transformation and International Consortium EuroBelarus carried out a research “Poverty and social isolation in Belarus”. Office on the Rights of the People with Disabilities initiated a research that reveals certain aspects concerning treatment of people with disabilities in our country. Center for European Transformation and Independent Institute of Socio-Economic and Political Studies (IISEPS) acted as the executors of the research. Research focus groups on how different population groups percept human rights and human rights activity were working. A number of other analytical documents were prepared as well.

According to the words of Andrei Yahorau, in 2012 CET has reached new level of collaboration with the international structures and experts; new relations have also been established within the country, for instance, with the IPM Research Centre.

In 2012 CET has conducted first international conference devoted to desovietization and questions of Soviet legacy. Within the Flying University framework a research group was working. This group was studying questions of desovietization and carried out a large-scale research on desovietization in different aspects – from analysis of an employment ban to the official Soviet holiday culture and displays of Soviet character in the architectural aspect of Belarusan towns.

At the same time Andrei Yahorau noted a number of unsolved problems. First of all, these are the problems with personnel and the necessity to broaden the composition of CET experts and analytics. “So far we are too few to accomplish the tasks we have set for the future”, - noted Andrei Yahorau.

Next year expert work on studying the processes going on in the civil society, in the inner political situation of Belarus and in our collaboration with the countries of the EU and Russia will be carried on. Besides, in 2013 it is planned to launch an open analytical seminar where the questions of problematic character, topical situation in the country and in the world will be discussed. “I hope that this seminar, which will probably be carried out partially on the basis of the Flying University will promote the involvement of new people in the work of the European Transformation Centre”, - explained Andrei Yahorau.