Events

Exchanging expertise: active citizenship, monitoring tools and policies – Bilateral meetings Romania – Norway

CRPE implemented, from 27th of January to 15th of March 2017, the Exchanging expertise: active citizenship, monitoring tools and policies project, which aimed to initiate an exchange of experience and good practices between Romanian Center for European Policies and entities from Norway.

The study visit focused on three areas of expertise and interest, respectively 1) Civic engagement, 2) Monitoring policies, good governance and watchdogging, 3) EU policies and research, which represent key issues and dimensions of the projects we have developed under the NGO Fund (2009-2014).

The activities focused on the dissemination and valorisation of the achievements of the projects financed under the NGO Fund, but also on strengthening CRPE’s capacity to more effectively implement projects, design tools and ensure sustainability by sharing good practices with Norwegian partners. Moreover, an important component addressed during the meetings was the bilateral dimension and, in this regard, discussions concerning future partnerships opportunities have been initiated.

Project implemented with the financial support of the NGO Fund in Romania, a program funded by the EEA Grants and managed by the Civil Society Development Foundation.

The project „Strengthening Moldovan mass media capacity to address conflict resolution issues” is in the final stage of implementation.

16730678_1285850191451882_1767952174350694359_n During the period 2-16 February 2017, three journalists followed an internship at „Ziarul de Garda” newspaper. The interns were selected as result of a contest of articles written in groups after the training „Conflict-sensitive reporting”. The interns, Inga Nosatîi, Natalia Rotari and Andrei Colioglo, come from different regions of Moldova (North, Centre and South) and have diverse experience in journalism.

During two weeks, the interns worked in collaboration with their mentors from „Ziarul de Garda” in developing journalistic materials, by this strengthening their abilities and learning from the experience of journalists from „Ziarul de Garda”.

CRPE -R. Moldova team, together with mentors from „Ziarul de Garda”, interns and Canada Fund for Local Initiatives local coordinator held an evaluation session of the internship program and assessed the lessons learned from this experience.

„For me, the internship at Ziarul de Garda was a challenge. I knew from the very beginning that it would not be easy because the journalists at Ziarul de Garda are professional, unbiased and impartial. Initially, I was afraid that I will not meet the requirements. Fortunately, during the two weeks, this phobia transformed into a beautiful inner strength and psychological motivation to achieve the objectives proposed by my mentor. During the internship I managed to publish an article about a village where only 5 people live, and a news about the poor conditions in Moldovan prisons.”

Natalia Rotari

„The internship at Ziarul de Garda was a lesson and a responsibility for me. Feeling the working atmosphere in the editorial office, meeting a great team, learning and be guided by professionals, and moreover, having freedom to act and think is very rarely met in Moldova.”

Inga Nosatîi

„For me, as recent graduate, the internship withing an advanced editorial team as Ziarul de Garda is, was a very good experience. I had the opportunity to work with professionals, to get valuable tips from them and support – it was a great honor. It was nice to see myself the „kitchen” of the newspaper, which is known for high quality investigative materials. I’ve managed to publish a story about care houses in Moldova, I tried my news writing skills. The main lesson for me is that we must constantly strive for high standards of quality journalism.”

Andrei Colioglo

The project „Strengthening Moldovan mass media capacity to address conflict resolution issues” is implemented by CRPE-R. Moldova with the financial support of the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives.

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LEAD Moldova Program – the first training sessions took place

On 26 January 2017 in Chisinau took place the Opening Conference of LEAD Moldova Program – „The role of young professionals from justice sector in reforming the system”, which launched the first leadership program dedicated to young lawyers from Moldova.

20 young lawyers who have demonstrated leadership potential and desire to be agents of change in the justice system were selected. Young lawyers will participate in five training sessions that combine leadership modules with modules related to justice system in the form of workshops, open discussions with experts from and/or working for the benefit of the justice system:

Session 1 | Vision and creativity | 26 to 29 January 2017
Session 2 | Leading a team and teamwork | 16 to 19 February 2017
Session 3 | Change management and making better decisions | 9 to 12 March 2017
Session 4 | Communication and presentation skills. Learn to convince! | 6 to 9 April 2017
Session 5 | Project Management. The set of tools necessary to lawyers | 11 to 14 May 2017

Young lawyers will also go on a study visit to Bucharest, where they will have the opportunity to meet representatives of the major institutions of the Romanian justice system, experts from NGOs and members of the alumni network of the “Leaders for Justice” program in Romania.

LEAD Moldova program is implemented by the Romanian Center for European Policies – Moldova and INK Association, funded by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Romania and Moldova.

Chișinău, 20-22th of October 2016 – Training on peace journalism

On 20-22 October 2016, the Moldovan Branch of the Romanian Centre for European Policies, in partnership with the Romanian Institute for Action, Training and Peace Research – PATRIR, organized a training course for journalists “Conflict-sensitive reporting”.

Journalists from several regions of the country, including the Autonomous Region of Gagauzia and Transnistria, together with PATRIR experts Andra Tanase and Andrei Trubceac, analyzed the positive role the media plays and can play in conflict situations by discussing the potential of prevention, social binder, mediator and catalyst of the dialogue.

Through interactive teaching methods, the journalists exploited the themes that are part of the basic training of a journalist active in human rights or conflict zone and analyzed the profile of the peace journalist, developing practical skills such as conflict analysis and multi-partial reporting.

At the end of the training, five groups of journalists were formed. They will have a practical exercise of writing a journalistic material and the group of journalists with the best article will follow an internship in a media institution in Chisinau.

Donor: The training course is part of the project “Strengthening Moldovan media capacity to address conflict resolution issues”, implemented with the financial support of the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives.

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Bucharest, 23 June 2016 – Final conference of the project “European Judicial Cooperation in the area of cybercrime”

The project European Judicial Cooperation in the area of cybercrime tackled the issue of European Cooperation on fighting Cybercrime from a judicial perspective, addressing the need of prosecutors and judges to have accurate knowledge of the present methods used in cybercrime investigation, national work procedures but also good practices in bi-lateral cooperation or cooperation with EU institutions. For this purpose, a target group of 60 judges and prosecutors from two Member States – Romania and Bulgaria – participated in trainings in this area.

The project aimed at contributing to a further development of an European area of justice based on mutual trust and cooperation, with a view to fostering a common legal and judicial culture in Europe.

In order to disseminate the information from the trainings to a wider group of magistrates across Europe, a Guideline on European Cooperation in the area of Cybercrime has been drafted within the project. The Guideline was presented during the final conference and it will be shared within European judicial cooperation networks.

The event was followed by a workshop on Virtual Currencies, challenges to the judicial system.

The project was implemented by Romanian Center for European Policies, in partnership with Center for Criminal Justice and Security Studies, National Institute for Magistracy in Romania and National Institute for Justice.

Donor: Project funded by the Justice Programme 2014-2020 of the European Union

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Training sessions within the project “European Judicial Cooperation in the area of cybercrime” – 9-11 December 2015, 13-15 April 2016 and 22-24 April 2016

The Romanian Center for European Policies, together with the National Institute for Magistracy in Romania, the National Institute for Justice in Bulgaria and the Center for Criminal Justice and Security Studies organized three sessions of training each dedicated to 20 judges and prosecutors from Romania and Bulgaria.

The trainings approached mainly the following themes: presentation of the European institutions handling judicial and police cooperation and assistance, present methods used in cybercrime investigation, cooperation with private partners, presentation of national laws and working procedures. Apart from the technical part, the trainings also included sesions of legal english focused on cybercrime terminology.

These trainings addressed the need of prosecutors and judges to have accurate knowledge of the present methods used in cybercrime investigation, national work procedures but also good practices in bi-lateral cooperation or cooperation with EU institutions. Specialists from Romania’s Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-RO), the Romanian General Police Inspectorate and FBI were among the trainers.

The trainings were organized in the framework of the project “European Judicial Cooperation in the area of cybercrime”, which aimed at contributing to a further development of an European area of justice based on mutual trust and cooperation, with a view to fostering a common legal and judicial culture in Europe.

Donor: Project funded by the Justice Programme 2014-2020 of the European Union

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Bucharest, 26 April 2016 – Launch of National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) Sustainability Index 2015

Corruption kills #COLECTIV was the 2015 slogan after the tragic events at Club Colectiv in October, where 64 young people lost their lives. This was also the moment when people truly acknowledged the dramatic consequences tolerating corruption may have, as pointed out by the Chief Prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruța Kövesi.

Romanian Center for European Policies launched Tuesday, 26 April 2016, the report DNA Sustainability Index, 2^nd edition, during the event ‘Effectve anti-corruption and obstacles to it’ . After years of reforms in the judicial system and constant monitoring done by the European Commission, DNA is now an effective institution, serving as an example of good practice for other EU Member States, thanks to its organization, case law and courage to dismantle complicated interest-based and corruption networks going all the way to top state levels, undermining institutions and colonizing public administrations and communities.

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DNA continues to be an exception also for the institutional system in Romania and, as the 2015 Sustainability Index will show, it manages to mobilize other public actors. However, the fight against corruption continues to be threatened by attempts to amend laws and by lack of political will.

The event was attended by Codruţa Laura Kovesi, the DNA chief prosecutor, representatives of the Ministry of Justice, DIICOT, magistrates, experts, civil society representatives and the media.

The event presenting the results of DNA Sustainability Index is part of the Development of the Coalition ‘Initiative for a Clean Justice’, formed by Romanian Center for European Policies together with Freedom House Romania and Expert Forum, funded by the SEE 2009-2014 Grants within NGO Fund in Romania.

For more information concerning the research and monitoring tools developed by the Coalition, please access www.justitiecurata.ro

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Bucharest, 20 April 2016 – Final Conference of the project “Education for Justice and Democracy – a citizenship training programme in schools”

Romanian Center for European Policies together with Liderjust (association of law practitioners) organized on April 20^th of April 2016, the final conference of the project „Education for Justice and Democracy – a citizenship training program in schools”.

During the final conference the most important results of the pilot project were presented, regarding the experience of teaching legal education in pre-universitary learning institutions and the students’options concerning legal education: how students perceive this subject, what they want to learn, who should teach these notions.

Romanian Center for European Policies and Liderjust presented also the public policy options resulted from recent consultations on the introduction of legal education in schools, and launched the debate on the existent short-term options for continuing the programme.

The event brought together professionals from the fields of Education and Justice, public policy experts from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Justice, Law experts and practitioners, magistrates, representatives of non-governmental organizations and academia.

More than 1300 students from Bucharest, Constanța, Argeș and Prahova districts participated in the demonstrative lessons taught by prosecutors, judges, lawyers, notaries, mediators in the pilot project „Education for Justice and Democracy – a citizenship training program in schools”. The pilot project aimed to test the best formulas for teaching legal education in schools as a tool for early prevention of corruption, to promote respect for law and democracy and knowledge of rights and civil liberties.

This project is funded through SEE 2009-2014 Grants, within NGO Fund in Romania. For more information concerning SEE and Norwegian Grants please access www.eeagrants.org

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Bucharest, 25 March 2016 – The Debate ‘Civic literacy and juridical education” with students in Law School: exercises and practical lessons for an active citizenship

Civic literacy and juridical education was the theme of the debate organized by Romanian Center for European Policies and Liderjust in partnership with Romanian – American University and Center for Human Rights and Migration. The students were invited to discuss about the possiblities to contribute, as future Law practitioners, to the promotion of civic literacy.

At the event were also attended representatives of the Ministry of Justice. They offered details about new initiatives for promoting juridical education. The debate was followed by practical lessons for the students, who would subsequently go in small communities and explain notions of law, democracy, human rights and civic attitude.

More details about other tools and methods for promoting active ctizenship are available at http://expertforum.ro/cetatenia-activa/

The debate was organized within the project “Active Citizenship – A Powerful Tool for Streghtening the Rule of Law” funded through SEE 2009-2014 Grants, within NGO Fund in Romania.

For more information concerning SEE and Norwegian Grants please access www.eeagrants.org

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27 – 28 November 2015, Chișinău. European specialisation for journalists from the Republic of Moldova – CORESPONDENT EUROPA

The regional office of Romanian Center for European Policies in the Republic of Moldova (CRPE – R. Moldova) in partnership with EURACTIV Romania organised, between 27 and 28 November 2015 in Chisinau, a specialised seminar on European affairs for 15 journalists from the Republic of Moldova. The journalists were selected during the contest CORESPONDENT EUROPA (Europe Correspondent), organised in October.

The training sessions aimed to specialise the journalists from the Republic of Moldova on European themes and to develop their ability to access funds. Experts of the Romanian think-thank CRPE and of EURACTIV Romania facilitated the expertise transfer. Cristian Ghinea (CRPE expert) focused on explaining how the European Union is organised and how the decisions are taken at European level, while Bianca Toma (CRPE expert) presented the tools and the media resources that would help the journalists to inform about EU. Also, the EURACTIV experts – Ramona Diaconu and Andrei Schwartz – showed the selected journalists how to elaborate a grant proposal, how to draft the budget of a project and which are the steps that must be taken in order to implement a project. EURACTIV Romania trainers presented financing opportunities for journalists and offered free consultance for the journalists who wanted to access funds.

The training sessions were organised within the project CORESPONDENT EUROPA implemented by CRPE – R. Moldova in partnership with EURACTIV Romania and was supported through a programme of the Embassy of Netherlands.

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October 27 to 30, 2015, Republic of Moldavia – Informative campaign on the importance of European standards

Moldovan Branch of Romanian Centre for European Policies (CRPE – Moldova) in partnership with Institute of National Standardization (INS), with support of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) through FHI 360 program “Partnerships for Sustainable Civil Society in Moldova” organized from 27 to 30 October, 2015 an informative campaign on the importance of European standards and the need to adopt and implement them. The informative campaign has been organized in several higher education institutions in Moldova, including: Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, University Moldova State University and Comrat State University “Alecu Russo”.

The purpose of organizing this informative campaign was to inform students about the role and necessity of adopting and implementing European standards in Moldova.

At the end of each meeting, students were given a brochure about the European standards „Why is it important and what are the advantages?”, which comprises useful information on the importance of European standards.

This event is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of CRPE – R. Moldova and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

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September 22, 2015, Kishinev – Round table: Standards and standardization in the university environment

Moldovan Branch of Romanian Centre for European Policies (CRPE – Moldova) in partnership with Institute of National Standardization (INS), with support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) through FHI 360 program “Partnerships for Sustainable Civil Society Moldova “, organized on September 22, 2015 a roundtable with the subject “Standards and standardization in the university environment”. The event brought together representatives of several educational institutions in Moldova, including: Technical University of Moldova, State Agrarian University of Moldova, Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, University of Political Science and European Economic University Cooperative Trade University of Moldova Polytechnic College and Commercial Cooperative College in Chisinau.

The objectives of the round table were the awareness about European standards and capacity building of the academic environment in order for them to study and use the European standards in educational institutions. Within this round table, the representatives of academic environment have consulted the support guide as well as curricula in standardization field elaborated by two national experts and one expert from Romania.

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September 4 to 5, 2015, Bucharest – Education for Justice and Democracy – workshop for law practitioners

Law practitioners are bringing justice in communities – workshop and training sessions for law practitioners as part of the project “Education for Justice and Democracy – a citizen training program in schools”. CRPE and Liderjust organized the first training session focusing on teaching methods for law practitioners (judges, prosecutors, lawyer, mediators) with the purpose of enabling them to teach demonstrative lessons of legal education in pre-universitary learning institutions from Bucharest and South Muntenia Region.

Some useful tools for teaching and learning – a guide with methods for teaching and practical examples for magistrates, together with a guide for high school students – will be available during the project.

A new training session for 25 law practitioners will be organized at the end of October. The call for registration will be available online on www.crpe.ro and on Liderjust Facebook page.

This project is funded through SEE 2009-2014 Grants, within NGO Fund in Romania. For more information concerning SEE and Norwegian Grants please access www.eeagrants.org

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June 8, 2015, Bucharest – Education for Justice and Democracy – extensive consultations

CRPE and Lidejust.ro, together with Education professionals and law practitioners, participated in the consultation related to the education of the future active and involved Romanian citizens.

“Education for Justice and Democracy – a citizen training program in schools” is a pilot project whereby magistrates and lawyers will establish “a citizen training program in schools”. The aim of the meeting – during which two working groups were formed – was to identify the challenges, limitations and options regarding the introduction of legal education in schools, to outline pilot methods of intervention in order to achieve results which could contribute to public policy decisions in the field of both Justice and Education.

The format of the meeting facilitated plenary discussion, but also debates within working groups in order to evaluate efficiently and specifically the relevant aspects for the education and judicial systems.

The consultations were held within the “Education for Justice and Democracy – a citizen training program in schools” project, implemented by the Romanian Center of European Policies and Liderjust and funded through SEE 2009-2014 Grants, within NGO Fund in Romania.

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29 May 2015, BUCHAREST – Eastern Partnership and the EU perspective in the East – Eurosfat 2015

The Romanian Center for European Policies and Europuls organized in Bucharest on the 29^th of May 2015 at the Romanian Parliament Palace the EUROSFAT 2015 plenary debate “Eastern Partnership and the EU perspective in the East”. The opening panel “What’s next after the Eastern Partnership? EU membership perspective for Eastern Europe” is part of the project “Eastern Neighbors and Russia: Close links with EU citizens – ENURC” with the support of Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union.

EUROSFAT is the annual stakeholders’ forum on European affairs open to all relevant decision and policy makers as well as citizens interested in contributing to the European policies and challenges debates. The agenda of this year’s event will focus on the Eastern Partnership and the EU perspective in the East, Riga EaP summit conclusions, and the new challenges within the Black Sea Region.

The event brings together high level EU officials from the European Commission, members of the European Parliament, politicians, experts, members of civil society and interested stakeholders in order to discuss and shape their positions and expectations towards the European Union and the Eastern Partnership. The conference was attended by 308 participants, including high level officials and experts from Romania, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Estonia, Poland, Finland, Slovakia, Latvia and the Netherlands.

A special panel dedicated to energy cooperation Romania – Republic of Moldova – Ukraine hosted within the Eurosfat event (29 of May 11.00 -13.00, Romanian Parliament Palace) bringing together experts from Ukraine, Moldova, Brussels and key stakeholders from Romania.

More about Eurosfat 2015 and its program here http://eurosfat.ro/

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28 May 2015, BUCHAREST – Creative Approaches to the relations between the EU and the Eastern Partnership countries – round table

The Romanian Center for European Policies, with the support of Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation Program, will host in Bucharest, on the evening of 28 of May 2015, a Chatham House meeting “Creative Approaches to the relations between the EU and the Eastern Partnership countries”.

Leading think tanks representatives from the Visegrad group countries, Baltic region and Romania, Republic of Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine will debate the Riga Summit conclusions and the future of the EU’s Eastern Partnership.

The goal of the round table is to identify new approaches and cooperation projects between the European Union and the Eastern Partnership countries in the context of the current EU-Russia standoff. The debates should positively contribute to transfer of experience and know-how from EU member states to the Eastern Partnership countries struggling with complex structural reforms in a challenging regional context.

We will dive deep into the methods of informational warfare, explore frozen conflicts management strategies, pragmatically asses the Energy Union and its role for energy security of the Eastern Associates countries, and we will also elaborate on regional cooperation and the obstacles hindering the demanding process of democratization in the EU partner states. The meeting in Bucharest will be the first regional consultation held after the EU – Eastern Partnership summit in Riga, therefore it will represent a good opportunity to critically reflect on its main conclusions.

This event is part of the “Regional Cooperation Romania-Moldova-Ukraine – key for stability in the post-Crimea Black Sea Region“. The project is funded by the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation, German Marshall Fund.

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May 15, 2015 – “Analysis of the social housing framework in Bucharest” round-table

The Centre for Urban and Territorial Development (CDUT) and the Romanian Center for European Policies organized on May 15, 2015, the launching event of the project Find a home! – Enhancing the transparency and accessibility of the social housing allotment process. The project aims at increasing transparency of the social housing allocation process by developing a pilot instrument at Bucharest Municipality level and the establishment of a network with the purpose of enabling citizens and all stakeholders to have an easy and interactive access to data related to the process. At the same time, the project purpose is to evaluate the local policies regarding social housing in the 6 districts of Bucharest and to formulate and promote a series of recommendations and proposals on housing policies.

Given the fact that within the social housing allotment process, the roles of local authorities and civil society are equally important, the aim of the round-table was to generate an exchange of experiences and ideas through the different perpectives of the two categories.

The debate aimed at understanding the social housing allotment process, the relevance of the allocation criteria, as well as legislative aspects affecting the coherence of this field. In the same time, specific issues concerning the social assistance that are not always covered in the legislation were pointed out. Moreover, many recommendations to improve the actual framework were made by representative of each district municipality and NGOs.

The event was part of the “Find a home! – Enhancing the transparency and accessibility of the social housing allotment process” project, funded through SEE 2009-2014 Grants, within NGO Fund in Romania.

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April, 24, Tbilisi – Final conference of the project “Supporting the visa liberalization process in Georgia by providing assistance in the field of personal data protection and anti-discrimination”

CRPE, together with Open Society Georgia Foundation organized in Tbilisi the closing event of the project Supporting the visa liberalization process in Georgia by providing assistance in the field of personal data protection and anti-discrimination. During the event, two reports of Romanian experts were launched, containing recommendations regarding the establishment of efficient systems for personal data protection and non-discrimination. The reports were presented byIstvan Haller, Board Member in the National Council for Combating Discrimination and Bogdan Manolea, affiliated expert on Personal Data Protection and are available in English here and here.

The event was attended by His Excellency the Romanian Ambassador to Georgia, Dumitru Badea, Georgian officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from the Office of the Personal Data Protection Inspector, the Ombudsman’s Office, as well as other competent authorities in the field, representatives from the civil society and from the European Union Delegation in Georgia.

Georgia is in the second phase of the Visa Liberalization Action Plan and is currently waiting for an evaluation report from the European Commission.

The project aims to strengthen the capacity of the Georgian authorities with responsabilities in the field of personal data protection and anti-discrimination through sharing the Romanian experience of Euro-Atlantic integration.

Donor: The project is funded by the Romanian Government, through the budget for Official Development Assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented in partnership with United Nations Development Programme Bratislava Regional Centre.

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March, 29 – April 01, Pristina, Fact finding visit – Connecting with Europe

The Romanian Center for European Policies (CRPE) together with Kosovo Foundation for Open Society (KFOS) and British Council organized between March 29 and April 01 2015 a fact finding visit to Kosovo as part of the “Connecting with Europe” project.

The visit aimed to facilitate knowledge of the latest developments and realities in the Western Balkans, to facilitate dialogue between representatives of political parties, civil society, media and experts in European and foreign affairs from Romania and Kosovo, to evaluate the prospects of cooperation in bilateral and/or regional level and the transfer of expertise and good practices regarding the transition period in Romania and the pre-accession negotiations to European Union.

During the visit informal discussions were held with Atifete Jahjaga – President of Kosovo, Petrit Selimi – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bekim Collaku – Minister of European Integration, Kadri Veseli – President of Parliamentary Assembly, Silviu Emanuel Dragoicea – Representative of Romania in Kosovo, with representatives of European mission for EULEX rule of law in Kosovo, with ambassadors of other EU member states in Kosovo, with members of Serb community, members of civil society and journalists.

Romania is one of five EU member states that do not recognize Kosovo’s independence.

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2-3 February 2015, Chisinau – Training for the National Commission for Integrity – ”Strengthening the CNI capacity through expertise transfer and best practices exchange”

Romanian Center for European Policies, together with its regional office in the Repulic of Moldova and UNDP Moldova organized a training for the members of the National Commission for Integrity (CNI). The participants attended a session of ToT for strengthening the ability of the employees to offer constant support (methodologic assistance and instructing) to those who collect income statements and declarations of interests in public institutions. CRPE facilitated also an exchange of experience with their counterpart in Romania, National Agency for Integrity (ANI), represented by Silviu Popa – Director for Communication and Strategy.

The project within which these sessions were organized aims at strengthening the institutional capacity of CNI, in order to ensure integrity and transparence for prevention and eradication of corruption in the Republic of Moldova. This activity is part of the first component of the project –”Strengthening the institutional capacity of CNI – support for enhancing the internal work procedures and instructing the collectors of declarations”. During the two days of training, the CNI staff was instructed in the field of training processes in the public sector and methods of training the civil servants.

The agenda of the training session is available here.

The presentation of the ANI representative can be found here.

Also, the presentation of the CRPE team is available here.

Donor: The project is funded by the Romanian Government, through the budget for Official Development Assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and implemented by the regional office of Romanian Center for European Policies in the Republic of Moldova in partnership with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – Moldova.

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Bucharest, February 2 to 3, 2015 – Study visit in Romania

Romanian Center for European Policies, together with Open Society Georgia Foundation organized a study visit within the project “Supporting the visa liberalization process in Georgia by providing assistance in the field of personal data protection and anti-discrimination”. The study visit was designed for a Georgian delegation composed of representatives from authorities with competencies in the field of personal data protection and non-discrimination, as well as members of the Georgian Parliament, civil society and representatives from mass-media with the aim of facilitating exchange experience with Romania.

During February 2, they attended meetings with representatives from the Legal, Discipline and Immunities Committee and the European Affairs Committee from the Romanian Parliament. The members of the committees shared Romania’s past experiences in the field of anti-discrimination and personal data protection. In the second day, meetings with National Council for Combating Discrimination and The National Supervisory Authority For Personal Data Processing were held. Georgian delegates were greeted with useful and relevant information by specialists from these institutions.

The project aims to strengthen the capacity of the Office of the Personal Data Protection Inspector in fulfilling EU criteria regarding data protection (section 2.3.4 of the Visa Liberalization Action Plan) and to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia in order to meet EU criteria on citizens’ rights and protection of minorities.

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Bucharest, December, 5, 2014. Round Table “Roma entrepreneurship in Romania. Research and advocacy for setting up a financial instrument facilitating access of small Roma entrepreneurs and social businesses in Romania to micro-credits”

Bucharest, December, 5, 2014. Romanian Center for European Policies (CRPE) organized, together with the Policy Center for Roma and Minorities (PCRM), a first consultation event with NGOs active in the field of economic and social inclusion of Roma minority, part of the project “Roma entrepreneurship in Romania. Research and advocacy for setting up a financial instrument facilitating access of small Roma entrepreneurs and social businesses in Romania to micro-credits”

The difficulties faced by Roma entrepreneurs accessing proper financing sources represent a major impediment in supporting and developing their businesses, but also a barrier in the path of overcoming social exclusion and economic marginalization of Roma entrepreneurs. The lack of sufficient financial resources and often rejected by the financial institutions, the potential clients are obliged to abandon their development plans, with direct consequences on their own income and their local community. More so, this situation maintains a high rate of Roma people working in the informal economy.

Thus, together with our partners from Policy Center for Roma Minorities, we organize interviews with 100 small Roma entrepreneurs from various working fields (from scrap metal collectors to Roma working in tourism or traditional Roma crafts), in an attempt to assess the situation of small Roma entrepreneurs in terms of financing needs and formulate public policies proposals that would set up appropriate financial instruments.

During the event, CRPE presented how the research will be conducted, the initial findings, the preliminary policy guidelines on which the coalition of NGOs will be constructed and the steps for an effective advocacy strategy. The discussions were an important step in creating a coalition of NGOs with a high level of expertise in supporting small Roma entrepreneurs (individually or within social enterprises). The presentation can be consulted here.

The event is part of the “Roma entrepreneurship in Romania. Research and advocacy for setting up a financial instrument facilitating access of small Roma entrepreneurs and social businesses in Romania to micro-credits” project, financed by Open Society Institute.

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BRUSSELS, 4 November 2014 – Final event of the project ““Profiling”: challenges for EU institutions in safeguarding fundamental rights”

The United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and its partners(Romanian Center for European Policies, AMAPOLA, Zentrum Technik und Gesellschaft, Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology and Society), organized, on November, 4, the final event of the PROFILING project “PROtecting citizens’ rights Fighiting ILlicit profilING” funded by the European Commission, within the framework of the FRaC Programme.

One of the biggest challenges posed by the global technological evolution to the right of data protection is the processing of such data in the context of automated profiling: the automated processing of data to develop predictive knowledge in the form of profiles that can subsequently be applied as a basis for decision-making.

As such, the Profiling Project focused on identifying and tackling the challenges posed by technology to the fundamental right to data protection. The project’s objectives also included the assessment of the level of awareness and measures in place at European level.

In view of the conclusion of the project UNICRI and its partners organized a final conference in Brussels with Members of the European Parliament and some of the main European stakeholders involved in this field. It represented a great opportunity to discuss the main results and findings of the project and the role of European institutions in safeguarding fundamental rights in the context of automated profiling.

With financial support from the “Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Programme” of the European Union

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ROME, 26 of September 2014, Final Conference: “Protecting Citizens’ Rights Fighting Illicit Profiling”

Hosted by the Italian Society for International Organization (SIOI), the Conference represents an unique opportunity to present the main findings of the two-year project PROFILING.

The project included a background analysis and risk assessment on profiling and its impact on fundamental rights, and the elaboration and testing of questionnaires with the involvement of the national data protection authorities of the 28 EU Member States and Switzerland, to assess the present European legal framework. Fieldwork was conducted in three selected countries – namely, Romania, Germany and Italy – on the legal aspects related to the evolution of technologies, with a specific focus on data retention and e-commerce.

During the Conference the results of the survey conducted in the 28 European Union Member States and Switzerland as well as the results of the fieldwork conducted in Romania, Germany and Italy will be presented. The results of the fieldwork in Romania, conducted by CRPE, can be found here

Moreover, high-level international experts and representatives of national authorities working on protection of personal data and privacy at European level will present their experiences and debate on possible strategies and good practices to be adopted in the future regarding profiling practices and citizens’ rights.

eu-flag With financial support from the “Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Programme” of the European Union

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July 2, 2014 – Launch event of the study ”The anti-migration discourse with regard to Romanian and Bulgarian citizens in France and Great Britain: between blame culture, negative stereotypes and prejudice”

The launch event of the study “The anti-migration discourse with regard to Romanian and Bulgarian citizens in France and Great Britain: between blame culture, negative stereotypes and prejudice” (available in English) – a report conducted by Andreea-Doina Călbează, Policy Research Fellow – Open Society Foundations, was hosted by the European Public Space in Bucharest (Vasile Lascar street, no. 31, ground floor) and took place on July 2, 2014. The aim of the debate was to put forward the subject of anti-migration discourse in general, but also to look into the specificities of the discourse with regards to Romanians and Bulgarians in UK and France, two of the countries where the topic was the most prominent during the period end of 2013 and beginning of 2014. The moderator of the meeting was Ciprian Ciucu, Programs Director at the Romanian Center for European Policies. The speakers present at the event were: Andreea-Doina Călbează, the author of the study, Bogdan Stanoevici, Minister Delegate for Romanians Abroad, Iolanda Stăniloiu, Consultant and former spokesman of the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Protection and Elderly, Alina Matiş, Editor of the Romanian newspaper Gândul and producer of the campaign “Why don’t you come over” and Radu Magdin, Political Analyst and CEO Smartlink Communications. Representatives of the Embassy of Bulgaria in Romania, members of the European Parliament Information Office and of the Representation of the European Commission in Romania, as well as journalists from several leading newspapers, members of the civil society, professors and students were also present at the debate.

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June 19 and June 20, 2014 – European Union – Republic of Moldova Forum (the third meeting)

The Romanian Center for European Policies, the Foreign Policy Association and the Institute for Eastern Studies in Warsaw held on June 19 and on June 20, 2014 the third European Union – Republic of Moldova Forum. This forum was organized this time in Balti, Moldova and hosted delegates from Romania, Germany, Poland and other EU countries. The forum was organized to strengthen Moldova’s European aspirations, noticing the fact that as of June 27 Moldova will sign an Association Agreement with the EU.

The event was opened by the guests of honor: the Prime Minister of Moldova, Iurie Leanca, and the German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation, Gerd Mueller and the President of the Parliament of Moldova, Igor Corman.

Leanca said that Moldova’s European orientation is irreversible: “I chose the European vector as a model of development. Our European path is one that requires systemic and mentality changes. We see June 27 as a new beginning for modernization and reform. Our European project focuses on three major things: creating jobs, fighting corruption and de jure and de facto accession to the EU.” Iurie Leanca reminded also about the projects implemented in Moldova with the support of the European Union: “nearly 45 percent of the money from the EU go to road repairing. Likewise, investments have been made in agriculture, rural development, security projects and energy efficiency. “

The German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Mueller encouraged Moldova’s efforts to move closer to the European Union, stating that “Moldova should be part of the European future. The signing of the Association Agreement represents a milestone. You did a tremendous job. We know that the people here still need to be convinced about the benefits of this Agreement. We politicians need to communicate clearly and explain that everything that is done is for the good of the citizens. It is not directed against anyone and certainly not against Russia. “

The event also hosted the signing of the Moldovan-German Agreement on Assistance of Development worth 15 million Euros by Prime Minister Leanca and by the German Federal Minister Gerd Mueller.

This event was organized within the project “EU – Moldova Think Tank Dialogue”, financed by the Official Development Assistance Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in partnership with the United Nations Development Program – Regional Office in Bratislava.

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June 6, 2014 – “How to communicate to the public about conflicts of interest and financial disclosure? NCI (National Commission for Integrity) in a dialogue with the media and the civil society. “

The Romanian Center for European Policies and the Center for Policy Analysis and Prevention of Corruption of Moldova, together with the National Commission for Integrity of Moldova organized an event on June 6, 2014 on “how to communicate to the public about conflicts of interest and financial disclosure. NCI in a dialogue with the media and the civil society.” This event was designated to inform the journalists and the civil society in Moldova.

The event was divided into two sessions: the first session consisted of training on communication with the NCI and the second session represented a roundtable where the Project for the Communication Strategy of the NCI was discussed.

The training session was led by senior experts from the Romanian National Agency for Integrity (NAI) who facilitated a better understanding about the law regulating conflicts of interest and incompatibilities. Successful cases regarding NAI’s activity in Romania were also presented.

The second session, consisting of the roundtable, was a good opportunity for an open discussion between journalists, representatives of NGO’s and members of the NCI on the communication activities of the institution. During the event the draft strategy in this field was presented and the participants debated about the document and provided feedback concerning the communication activities of the NCI. The expectations of the society played also an important role in formulating the feedback. The recommendations of the participants were included in the draft communication strategy of NCI.

The next step for National Commission for Integrity of Moldova towards strengthening its capacity to communicate is the adoption of this document.

The event was organized within the project “Strengthening public support for anti-corruption efforts of the National Commission for Integrity and was funded by the Embassy of Finland in Bucharest.

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May 13, 2014 – Training “How to communicate to the public about conflicts of interest and financial disclosure? The NCI (National Commission for Integrity) in a dialogue with the representatives of the media and the civil society. “

The Romanian for European Policies (the branch in the Republic of Moldova) and the Center for Analysis and Prevention of Corruption with the support of the National Commission for Integrity in Moldova organized a training on “How to communicate to the public about conflicts of interest and wealth declarations. NCI in a dialogue with the media and the civil society. “

The purpose of the training was to familiarize the media representatives and the civil society with the topic ,,conflicts of interest” and to identify the best possible practices to communicate to the public on this subject. The emphasis during the training was placed on the Romanian experiences in fighting corruption. The different ways of approach, interpretation and the implementation of the legal framework were also discussed by all interested parts.

Also, this event has facilitated a new approach on how relations between the National Commission for Integrity and representatives of media and NGOs could develop in the future, based on openness and cooperation from both sides.

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May 12, 2014 – Roundtable “Strengthening public support for the goals of NCI (National Commission for Integrity)”

The Romanian Center for European Policies (the branch in the Republic of Moldova) in collaboration with the Center for Analysis and Prevention of Corruption and the National Commission for Integrity in Moldova (NCI) organized a meeting on May 12, 2014 with the emphasis “Building public support for the NCI aims”.

This event was a good opportunity for the representatives of the central authorities who are responsible with law-enforcement and the application of contraventions in Moldova to learn from the past Romanian experiences in dealing with conflicts of interest and incompatibilities. Romanian anti-corruption experts who have provided the expertise in this field were Laura Ştefan (anti-corruption expert, Expert-Forum), Ioana Lazăr (Head of the Legal Department, National Agency for Integrity-Romania) and Cristian Ghinea (anti-corruption expert, Romanian Center for European Policies).

This event focused specifically on the National Integrity Commission priorities to overcome judicial loopholes and to form institutional practices in order to analyze and sanction conflicts of interest and incompatibilities. The conclusions of this event will be the basis of future legislative changes set out in the policy documents in the field of anti-corruption and European integration.

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April 30, 2014 – Debate following the Romania -Ukraine Civic Forum, 2nd edition

The Romanian Center for European Policies (CRPE) has organized on April 30th, 2014 a debate regarding a potential reset of the Romania – Ukraine bilateral relations, in the context of the recent political developments in Ukraine. Preceding the debate, which was part of the Romania – Ukraine Civic Forum Project, the main conclusions of the Forum, as well as of the subsequent policy papers, were presented.

Following the second edition of the Forum, which took place in Kiev from 23 to 24 January 2014, experts from the Romanian Center for European Policies and its partner from Ukraine, Institute of World Policy (IWP), have prepared three papers on the following topics: (1) Cooperation on the Romanian minority in Ukraine; (2) The need for a reset in bilateral relations , based on consultations with Romanian experts, including three former ministers of foreign affairs, and (3) Expectations of the Ukrainian civil society from the EU and from the EU member states, and Romania in particular. The subsequent debate organized on April 30th was attended by diplomats, experts, civil society and media representatives.

Sergiu Celac, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania: “The methodology and content of this report (Kiev’s new turn: the necessity to reset the Romania – Ukraine relationship) is a huge breakthrough for the civil society in terms of critical assessment, including of certain positions that have received support in our country. ( … ) Secondly, I would like to mention that a generalized sympathy for the Ukraine, which hardly existed in Romania before, has emerged due to the recent developments that were rather tragic in nature. There is therefore a mutual understanding that ought to be capitalized on both sides.

Teofil Rendiuk (Embassy of Ukraine): “The fact that we are discussing the issue of Ukraine during this this meeting, as well as during the Forum, is illustrating a widespread interest in the Romanian society, reflected at all societal levels (President, Parliament, Government, scholars, mass media, as well as ordinary people). We enjoy the solidarity of the Romanians to what is happening in our country. We are pleasantly surprised by the readiness of the Romanian society regarding a reset of the bilateral relations between Romania and Ukraine.

The reports and extensive consultations undertaken were part of the Romania – Ukraine Civic Forum project, second edition, financed through the Official Development Assistance programme and implemented in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP ) Bratislava.

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February 28 2014, launch event of the European Campaign for Parity Democracy and Active European Citizenship

The Romanian Center for European Policies, together with Romanian Women’s Lobby, organized the launch event of the European Campaign for Parity Democracy and Active European Citizenship: No Modern European Democracy without Gender Equality!

The national campaign is part of a project funded by the European Commission Fundamental Rights and Citizenship 2012 programme and aims to promote the active participation of women as voters and candidates in the European elections in 2014, in order to increase the number of elected women.

For details, please contact Roxana Albisteanu at roxana.albisteanu @ crpe. ro

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January 30 2014, Pension Reform – From experts to the general public

The Resource Centre for Public Participation ( CeRe) and the Romanian Center for European Policies ( CRPE ) organized the debate “Pension reform – from experts to the general public” , on January 30, 2014, at Hotel Marshal Garden in Bucharest.

The purpose of debate was to bring into question the sustainability of the pension system with a medium to long-term time horizon, the equity of the pension system and future pension policy in Romania. On this occasion, the study «Alternatives and compromises for the Romanian pension system for the next 20 years”, written by the CRPE affiliated expert Victor Giosan was published.

The overall objective of the project is to involve social actors (experts, government representatives, politicians, the business environment, citizens and civil society organizations) in a deliberative process of developing a policy proposal on the pension system reform in Romania. The project will provide the Government with a series of essential information with regard to the pension system reform – the current situation and forecasts, main policy choices, their advantages and disadvantages and views of all stakeholders. At the same time, the project will put the subject on the public and political agenda and will promote the need for reform.

The project was initiated by the Resource Centre for Public Participation – CeRe, in partnership with the Romanian Centre for European Policies (CRPE), it will stretch over a period of 16 months (July 2013-October 2014) and has a total budget of 155.362,93 CHF. The project is co-financed by a grant from Switzerland, through the Swiss Contribution to the enlarged European Union. Value of own contribution is 15.551,83 CHF in cash.

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January 28, 2014 – The Protection of Personal Data – From Newsletter to Profiling. Definitions of Profiling

The results of the research activity on the definition of profiling achieved within the PROFILING – PROtecting citizens’ rights and Fighting ILlicit profilING. The right of data protection in the context of profiling project had been presented by one of the experts, Bogdan Manolea, affiliate expert with Romanian Center for European Policies, on the National Data Protection day debate organised by the The National Supervisory Authority For Personal Data Processing in Bucharest.

Details of how the 27 Members States National Data Protection Authorities have been understanding and implemented the so called “profiling” issue as applied to European recommendations in terms of data protection have been gathered in the following presentation (resulting from the application of an extensive questionnaire to EU Member States in the project PROFILING).

Prezentare introductiva despre profilare from bmanolea

January 23-24, 2014 – Romania – Ukraine Civic Forum, second edition

The event was jointly organized by the Romanian Center for European Policies (Romania) and the Institute of World Policy in Kiev. The Forum brought together civil society representatives from Ukraine and Romania striving to strengthen the cooperation between the two countries. This project is part of the process of sharing the Romanian expertise in the field of democratization and development policies with the countries of the EU’s Eastern Neighborhood.

Leading Ukrainian and Romanian experts and diplomats took part in the Forum: Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (2007-2009) Volodymyr Ogryzko, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Romania (1989-1990) Sergiu Celac, Director of the Romanian Centre for European Policies Cristian Ghinea, senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation Vladimir Socor, research director of the Institute of Euro-Atlantic Cooperation Oleksandr Sushko, former EU High Level Adviser on customs issues Dorel Fronea, and others.

The aim of the forum was to support expert networks in channeling independent expertise to decision-makers from Ukraine and Romania. The meeting participants have underlined the need of resetting and re-calibrating the Romanian-Ukrainian relations by emphasizing the existing opportunities for bilateral and multilateral cooperation projects. Building a Ukrainian-Romanian partnership based on a constructive dialogue is prevented by inaccurate stereotypes and misperceptions that generate distrust and suspicion in bilateral relations. During the Forum discussions, the civil society representatives have openly engaged in tackling one of the most delicate issues of the bilateral agenda, namely the national minorities situation.

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CRPE/ 2013/ Events

November 5, 2013 – “Romania as a donor of development assistance – What can the Parliament do”

The Romanian Center for European Policies has organized on Tuesday, November 5, 2013, at the Parliament, a round-table entitled “Romania as a donor of development assistance – What can the Parliament do”.

The event followed the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate, and several issues of major importance for defining the new legal and institutional framework for the development assistance offered by Romania were included on the agenda.

The attendees were members of the Senate, including the former Foreign Affairs Minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, and representatives of the MFA, Embassy of the Republic of Moldova, UNDP, FOND. The debate focused on Romania’s status as a donor country in the region, positioning our country in relation to established donors, limitations of the existing framework, and opportunities offered by the project of a RoAID agency within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The members of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee expressed their support for the bill that will be introduced by the MFA in the next legislative period and for strengthening Romania’s brand as a donor country.

The event was part of the “Strengthening the capacity of the Visegrad states, Romania, and Bulgaria of offering development assistance in the Black Sea region”, funded by the German Marshall Fund, through the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation programme.

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October 16, 2012 – “Romania – How to build a brand of established donor country”

“Romania – How to build a brand of established donor country” was the challenge of the debate organized by the Romanian Center for European Policies (RCEP), at the Romanian American Foundation ( RAF ) in Bucharest, to which foreign policy experts, diplomats and representatives of the media have been invited.

On this occasion, a debate on the Comparative analysis of the Visegrad countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary), Romania and Bulgaria with regards to their development assistance policy has been launched. Moreover, a draft law on development cooperation initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been advanced and detailed during the meeting.

“In order to increase Romania’s profile as an influential donor in the region, both funds, and the political will coupled with a better understanding of how bilateral and development assistance cooperation can bring major benefits and influence in the Romanian foreign policy. For both issues, the legal system needs to be upgraded, and the establishment and proper endowment of a Ro-Aid Agency would be a key step to increase Romania’s influence in the region”, said Cristian Ghinea, director of the Romanian Center for European Policies.

The event was part of the “Strengthening the capacity of the Visegrad states, Romania, and Bulgaria of offering development assistance in the Black Sea region”, funded by the German Marshall Fund, through the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation programme.

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October 1, 2013 – “An innovative measure for financing agricultural associations: Measure 142+. Proposal for RDP 2014-2020”

The Romanian Center for European Policies ( RCEP ) has organized on Tuesday, October 1, 2013 , a debate on the “An innovative measure for financing agricultural associations: Measure 142+. Proposal for RDP 2014-2020” report. As illustrated in the report, the measure involves supporting the formation of agricultural associations, during the next programming period of the European funds, in two stages: one of organizing the initiative group, establishing and strengthening cooperation with a supporting organizations, followed by a phase of individualized assistance offered to the newly created entity in the first years of operation.

The design of the measure presented during the event resulted from the consultation process organized by RAF and CRPE with CIVITAS, CSDF, CMSC, PACT, and CEED – organizations that have developed cooperative pilot project areas : Vidra-Ilfov, Apahida-Cluj, Prisăcani-Iași. The estimates and proposals were a result of the experience of working with these cooperatives.

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October 1, 2013 – “Romania as a donor of development assistance in the regional context . The legislative proposal on changing the institutional system”

The Romanian Center for European Policies (RCEP) organized, on Tuesday, October 1st, 2013, a debate on “Romania as a donor of development assistance in the regional context . The legislative proposal on changing the institutional system”.

The discussion was focused on the possibilities of developing the administrative capacity with regards to granting development assistance by Romania, based on good practices and lessons learned from the experience of Visegrad. The purpose of the debate was to find solutions for improving the legal and procedural framework in this area and help Romania to become a credible donor for the Black Sea states, namely the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, and Georgia.

18 – 19 June 2013: Fighting Discrimination – the challenges of institution-building in the Republic of Moldova (working visit)

The Romanian Center for European Policies (CRPE), together with the Association of Foreign Policy (APE) Chișinău, organized on the 18-19 June 2013 a working visit of representatives from the Council for Preventing and Eliminating Discrimination and Ensuring Equality (CPEDAS) of the Republic of Moldova and the National Council for Fighting Discrimination (CNDC) of Romania, as part of the project “Contributions to the development partnership between Romania and the Republic of Moldova“.

The visit involves experience sharing between the two institutions, a dialogue with civil society and an applied session of judiciary practice, sanction of discrimination acts, best practice sharing and communication and information regarding human rights and the effects of discrimination. This is the fifth action organised by the two partner organisations (CRPE and APE) within the project. Former meetings discussed: policies in the field of competition, energy cooperation and integrity (a visit from the representatives of the Moldovan National Integrity Center to the Romanian National Integrity Agency).

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22 May, 2013: Meeting of the National Integrity Commission of the Republic of Moldova with CRPE representatives

The headquarters of the National Integrity Commission (NIC) of the Republic of Moldova, in Alecu Russo 1, hosted a meeting between representatives of the NIC and the Romanian Center for European Policies.

The meeting discussed the identification of deficiencies in the functioning of the NIC and the possible solutions for overcoming the problems, with the help of external donors and the participation of CRPE representatives.

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17 – 21 April, 2013: the Training course and Team Building in “Public Policies”

The Romanian Center for European Policies has organized from the 17^th to 21^st April 2013 the Training course and Team Building in “Public Policies”. The training course took place at the Hotel Mistral Resort from Moeciu de Sus, address Bangaleasa Street, no. 194G, Moeciu de Sus, Brașov County.

The event was attended by representatives of five ministries involved in the project (Regional Development and Public Administration; Education, Research, Youth and Sports; Agriculture and Rural Development; Public Finance and Health) and of the General Secretariat of the Government as well as affiliate experts to the Romanian Center for European Policies.

The Training course and Team Building in “Public Policies” is part of the project “Debating policies, enhancing expertise”, SMIS code 40667 which is financed through the Operational Project Developing Administrative Capacity of the European Social Fund for the time span 25.09.2012 – 25.09.2013.

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21 – 24 March 2013: the Training course on “Strategic Planning”

The Romanian Center for European Policies has organized from the 21st to the 24th of March the Training Course “Strategic Planning”. The course was held at Hotel Silva in Bușteni, Telecabinei Street, no 54A, Bușteni, Prahova County.

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28 februarie – 3 martie 2013: cursul de Training privind Analiza Preliminară a Impactului Politicilor Publice (ex-ante impact assessment).

The Romanian Center for European Policies has organized from the 28th of February to the 3rd of March the Training Course “The preliminary analysis of the impact of public policies” (ex-ante impact assessment). The course was held at Hotel Silva in Bușteni, Telecabinei Street, no 54A, Bușteni, Prahova County.

he event was attended by representatives of five ministries involved in the project (Regional Development and Public Administration; Education, Research, Youth and Sports; Agriculture and Rural Development; Public Finance and Health) and of the General Secretariat of the Government as well as affiliate experts to the Romanian Center for European Policies.

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25 February 2013: the round table “The involvement of civil society in government decision-making process”

CRPE has organized on Monday, February 2013, a round table dedicated to the involvement of civil society in government decision-making process. The event was held at Intercontinental Hotel, Hora room.

CRPE is preparing an analysis report of the involvement of civil society in decision-making and aims to discuss these issues with experts from the government and civil society. In view of this report, CRPE has made an analysis of the five ministers (Internal Affairs, Education, Heath, Agriculture and Finances) on the year 2012 about the NGOs involvement in the decision-making process of public decisions (public policies, strategies) we have wanted to discuss its results with the participants to the round table.

You can download the presentation given at the event here.

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21 – 22 January 2013: The Visit of the National Integrity Commission of the Republic of Moldova to the National Integrity Agency in Romania

The Romanian Center for European Policies together with the Foreign Policy Association in the Republic of Moldova have organized on 21 – 22 January 2013, a study visit of the representatives of the National Integrity Commission in the Republic of Moldova at the headquarters of the National Integrity Agency in Romania.

The study visit was organized within the project “Contributions to the partnership for development between Romania and the Republic of Moldova” and its aim was to ensure a transfer of experience and best practices to the representatives of a young institution, the National Integrity Commission, from an institution that has become a model in the fight against corruption in Romania. In order to achieve its European aspirations, the Republic of Moldova should create strong institutions to combat conflicts of interest and incompatibilities, and the exchange of experience with an experienced organization, which has been appreciated in the reports of the European Commission is an important step in this direction.

The event was attended by the President of the National Integrity Agency (Horia Georgescu), the Vice President (Bogdan Stan), the chiefs of the Agency’s main departments (IT and HR) and representatives of the Integrity Inspection. The Moldovan delegation was composed by the President of the National Integrity Commission (Anatolie Donciu), members of the Commission (Veronica Lupu and Leonid Morari) and representatives of the Legal Services and Human Resources Management and the Control Directorate on Income and Properties.

The project is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Development Assistance Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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14th of December 2012: International workshop – ”ODA institutional practices in Visegrad countries + Romania and Bulgaria)

This was the first event organized within the project ”Enhancing the capacity of Visegrad states + Romania and Bulgaria to act as ODA donors in the Black Sea region”.

This project aims at establishing a network of official development assistance (ODA) stakeholders in the six countries in order to change information and best practices, as well as to develop common proposals and projects to be implemented by the six countries, by NGOs and state officials. Two comparative studies will be written by the project`s team, involving the local experts. The first study will describe the ODA institutional framework and practices in each of the Visegrad + 2 countries. The workshop was meant to help draft this first study, which will be published in February 2013.

The project is funded by the Black Sea Trust of the German Marshall Fund

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5th of December 2012: Roundtable “Cooperation Romania-Republic of Moldova in the market economy and competition policies”

The Romanian Centre for European Policies and the Foreign Policy Association in Chisinau have organized the second event within the project “Contribution to the development partnership between Romania and Republic of Moldova”, on cooperation in the field of market economy and free competition.

Bogdan Chiriţoiu, President of the Competition Council of Romania, Viorica Carare, President of the Competition Council of the Republic of Moldova and the Romanian Ambassador to Moldova, as well as representatives of public institutions in the Republic of Moldova have participated in this event. As a result of the debate, the Foreign Policy Association and the Romanian Center for European Policies will draft a report on the consequences of adopting the communitarian acquis on competition policy on the Moldovan economy.

The project is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Development Assistance Unit of the MAE.

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12th of November 2012: Starting event for the project “Debating Policies, Increasing Expertise”

CRPE has launched the project „ Debating Policies, Increasing Expertise” within a round table which took place on the 12th of November 2012. The CRPE team, our affiliated experts and representatives of the Ministries of Health, Education, Agriculture, Finances and the General Secretariat of the Romanian Government have participated in the event. Within this project, which is financed through the Operational Programme for the Development of Administrative Capacity (at the Ministry of Interior), the staff and the affiliated experts will elaborate public policy reports, which will measure the impact of specific policies implemented by the aforementioned institutions.

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9th of November 2012: ”Truly democratic European Elections”

The Romanian Center for European Polices ( CRPE) aims at changing the electoral legislation for European elections in the sense of adopting a competitive electoral system which would lead to the improvement of the electoral offers of future candidates.

On the 9th of November 2012, CRPE experts have participated in a round table debating the opportunity of changing the electoral legislation, together with the MEPs Cristian Preda, Sebastian Bodu and the sociologist Mircea Chivu.

The debate took place at the Romanian- American Foundation.

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8th of November 2012: Roundtable “Romania and the negotiations for EU’s future budget”

Given the preparation of the negotiations concerning the EU budget 2014-2020, CRPE has organized a roundtable: „Romania and the negotiations for the EU’s future budget”.

The Minister of European Affairs, Leonard Orban, the State Secretary for European Affairs at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Luminita Odobescu, the economic analysts Daniel Daianu and Laurian Lungu, as well as other experts and officials in the field of European Affairs have participated in the event. They discussed possible negotiation scenarios of Romania at Brussels and their impact on the European Funds.

The event has been hosted by the Representation of the European Commission in Bucharest.

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31st of October 2012: The debate ”What do we expect from the future Anti-corruption Directorate?”

CRPE and the publishing house Humanitas have launched the book written by Cristian Ghinea ”Why is it worth protecting anti-corruption institutions”.

Daniel Morar, Chief Prosecutor of the National Anti-corrution Directorate; Horia Georgescu, the President of the National Agency for Integrity; Cristi Danilet, judge and member of the Superior Council of Magistracy, Laura Stefan, anti-corruption expert, Gabriel Liiceanu, Director of Humanitas Publishing, NGO members and citizens have participated in this event.

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12th of October 2012: Roundtable – ”Energy Cooperation between Romania and the Republic of Moldova”

It was the first event organized within the project „Contributions to the Partnership for Development between Romania and the Republic of Moldova”, implemented by CRPE in collaboration with the Association for Foreign Policy in Chisinau.

Officials from the Foreign Affairs Ministries of both countries, the Ministry of Economy and the Agency for Energy Regulation in Romania and from the Ministry of Economy in Chisinau, together with experts and analysts, have participated in the event.

The main topic was the Iasi-Ungheni pipeline which will change the energetic geography of the region. The issue of energy pressure on Moldova coming from Russia have been discussed too. Following this event, CRPE will write a report on the debated topics.

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24th- 25th of May 2012: Romania-Ukraine Civic Forum – organized by CRPE and the Institute of Public Policy (Kiev)

The forum aims at enhancing bilateral relations between Romania and Ukraine by involving civil society. We set out to build expertise networks from both states and to create the premises for involving the civil society from Romania and Ukraine in the bilateral relationship, exchanging opinions and supporting expertise transfer.

Experts from both Romania and Ukraine, alongside guests from Republic of Moldova, will participate in the event, providing for a positive debate and exchange of ideas on the mutual cooperation for European integration and other relevant subjects in the area.

The agenda of the event can be downloaded here.

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21st of June 2012: 40 European NGOs urge the EU to advance Moldova to the 2nd phase of APVL

At the initiative of CRPE, The Visa-free Europe Coalition is calling upon the European Commission to propose progression of the Republic of Moldova to the second phase of the implementation of the Action Plan on Visa Liberalisation (APVL), as soon as possible.

The two letters which are addressed to Catherine Ashton, HR of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (see link) and to Cecilia Malmstrom, Commissioner for Home Affairs (see link), showing that a positive decision on behalf of the Commission and Council would mean that the EU is keeping its promise to progress with each country on visa dialogue according with its own merits. It would be a fair use of the ‘more for more’ principle, which is so vocally advocated by the EU in its relations with the Eastern Partnership countries.

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22th of June 2012: Why isn’t agricultural association attractive? EU funding for Agricultural Associations

Romanian Center for European Policies is launching the study Why isn’t agricultural association attractive? EU funding for agricultural associations.

Why have policies destined to encourage association have such limited effect? The overall conclusion of the report is that the disparity between the Romanian reality and the design of this policy (inspired by Western countries) was too big, especially in terms of inclusion of agriculture in the formalized economy. This calls for broader public policies, which stretch beyond the sphere of the Ministry of Agriculture. The biggest problem is that in order to receive these funds,farmers must be included in the formalized/taxed economy.

It proves to be difficult, as they must face disloyal competition from producers who do not register their production and, most importantly, from importers who avoid paying taxes. Thus, by allowing tax evasion and encouraging the informal economy (e.g. through producer certificates), the Romanian state is dampening the NRDP’s association incentives.

This report was released during an event organized at the Romanian-American Foundation. The study is financed by the Romanian American Foundation in the preparation of the programme ”Rural Development through Entrepreneurship and Association’-a joint initiative of RAF, PACT,CIVITAS, FDSC, CMSC, CRPE and CEED.

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27th of July: EC’s answer to the letter initialized by CRPE regarding visa liberalisation for Rep. of Moldova

On the 21st of June, at CRPE’s initiative, The Coalition for the European Continent undivided by Visa Barriers (Visa-free Europe Coalition) has written an open letter to the European Committee and to the Council, calling upon the European Commission to propose progression of the Republic of Moldova to the second phase of the implementation of the Action Plan on Visa Liberalisation (APVL), as soon as possible.

In a recent answer issued on the 27th of July, the Coalition has received an answer from Catherine Ashton, HR of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Cecilia Malmström, Commissioner for Home Affairs. The two high officials are noting that the letter was timely and that they have duly appreciated the efforts of the Moldovan authorities to adopt important and difficult pieces of legislation. The answer also shows that European institutions realise that the implementation of all pieces of legislation adopted in the first phase of the Action Plan is a daunting task, so that the EU will continue to support Moldovan authorities with substantial technical and financial assistance.

The authors are also reassuring the Coalition members that the “more for more” principle and the “merits-based approach” are two basic elements which are taken in consideration by the Commission. This fact was also proved on the 27th of June, when Rep.of Moldova became one of the main beneficiaries of the Eastern Partnership Integration and Cooperation programme.

The full answer from the European Commission can be found here.

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31st of August-3rd of September 2012: Call: Summer Academy Freiburg

Aim of the conference

In light of multiple challenges posed by future enlargements, it seems necessary to review the impact of the EU’s democracy promotion and to understand which lessons can be learned when the EU’s conditionality is put to the test. Which lessons can we draw from the troubled contexts of the democracies in Eastern Europe and the EU’s use of conditionality in strengthening judicial reform and fighting corruption?

A completed ‘big-bang’ enlargement in 2004 with 8 Central and Eastern European countries and Romania and Bulgaria in 2007 offers a reasonable timetable and data to analyze divergent patterns and domestic responses to the EU’s conditionality. Further, important lessons of the CEE’s experience with EU conditionality can be drawn for Western Balkans and Turkey. We aim to analyze domestic reactions to EU’s benchmarks and how political elites choose to (not-) comply with external mechanisms of pressure. At the center of the debates we put the search for causal mechanisms in the interplay between external, domestic elites and domestic pecularities. To approach the complex interaction between the EU’s strategies to foster reform, institutional as well as behavioral change, and finally domestic reactions, we invite PhD researchers and experts to the conference, who will present their research and experience from various interdisciplinary perspectives (in particular from a political science, legal and economical perspective).

For further information, please access link.

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Events organized by CRPE for the Representation of the European Commission in Romania

Events 2011

Events 2010

Events 2009

ruxandra.popescu@rei.ase.ro

Press release: Five young civic monitors are keeping track of public policies in Bucharest

M&E training for CSOs

Online training session – Enhancing the capacity of the local civil society for monitoring local public authorities

Online seminar: The efficiency of judicial cooperation in criminal law in the EU

EmpowerYouth: Enabling youth organizations to shape decision-making on issues that matter most to young people

EUTEAM – Youth learning and virtual exchanges

Fostering the next generation of farmers in the Republic of Moldova through work-based learning in agricultural VET

COOPNET 3.0

Rapid Reaction: Where does the European Commission see progress in Romania’s fight against corruption?

Green Urban Transformation: case studies and insights

What is the role of green investments in the future of Romanian cities?

Civic monitoring in practice: how youth get involved in improving public policies in Bucharest

25 February 2013: the round table “The involvement of civil society in government decision-making process”

21 – 22 January 2013: The Visit of the National Integrity Commission of the Republic of Moldova to the National Integrity Agency in Romania

14th of December 2012: International workshop – ”ODA institutional practices in Visegrad countries + Romania and Bulgaria)

5th of December 2012: Roundtable “Cooperation Romania-Republic of Moldova in the market economy and competition policies”

12th of November 2012: Starting event for the project “Debating Policies, Increasing Expertise”

9th of November 2012: ”Truly democratic European Elections”

8th of November 2012: Roundtable “Romania and the negotiations for EU’s future budget”

31st of October 2012: The debate ”What do we expect from the future Anti-corruption Directorate?”

12th of October 2012: Roundtable – ”Energy Cooperation between Romania and the Republic of Moldova”

24th- 25th of May 2012: Romania-Ukraine Civic Forum – organized by CRPE and the Institute of Public Policy (Kiev)

21st of June 2012: 40 European NGOs urge the EU to advance Moldova to the 2nd phase of APVL

22th of June 2012: Why isn’t agricultural association attractive? EU funding for Agricultural Associations

27th of July: EC’s answer to the letter initialized by CRPE regarding visa liberalisation for Rep. of Moldova

31st of August-3rd of September 2012: Call: Summer Academy Freiburg

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