Publications

This report is based on the surveys of public opinion carried out by the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) in the year 2007 and 2008.

#5, February 2010
Special Issue

In November 2009, the Council of the European Union approved a set of Council Conclusions on Democracy Support in the EU’s External Relations, including an Agenda for Action. With the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, and the creation of an EU diplomatic service (European External Action Service), an opportunity now exists to provide a clear framework for democracy support in EU external relations.

(attached in English and Ukrainian)

The OSCE and other international observers have been unanimous in their conclusions: the first round of Ukraine's Presidential election was both fair and transparent. Still, it's not clear for what and why Ukrainian voters cast their ballots. What impact did the international community have on this election?

In the new EU members of Central Europe, a lack of public confidence in current political elites has resulted in turning citizens away from engagement in public debate, while the winners and losers of transition are increasingly evident in a widening socio-economic divide. In three of the Visegrad Four countries, a majority recognise more advantages and opportunities in democracies today than under the pre-1989 dictatorial regimes, but there is an urgent need to win over a reticent public to support the transfer of democratic know-how to the EU’s eastern neighbours and other countries.

(attached in English and Ukrainian)

Ukrainian foreign policy is in a difficult situation. Relations with its most important partners are dire, and the country is unable to adequately pursue its interests in the international arena.

What, then, is the way forward? What are Ukraine’s key interests, and how should they be pursued? Too often, answers to these questions are geographically-based, seeing relations with partners as ends rather than as means. ICPS and IWP (Institute of World Policy) therefore propose a different approach to the formulation of Ukrainian foreign policy, one structured around a limited number of strategic interests.

Ukraine today should have four priorities:

• regaining credibility;
• restoring key partnerships;
• preserving sovereignty and independence; and
• becoming a more active and constructive player in the region.

This paper’s recommendations are geared toward enabling the new President to harness the power of foreign policy to serve the country’s strategic interests.

ICPS European Focus #6, 2010 (in English and in Ukrainian)

(attached in English and in Georgian)

The European Union’s Eastern Partnership was inaugurated in Prague on 7 May 2009. It represents a concerted effort on the part of the EU and six non-EU former Soviet Bloc nations – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus – to upgrade and expand their relationship.

The project is designed to facilitate the political and economic integration with the EU of the Eastern Partnership countries, including Georgia, with the help of various bilateral and multilateral co-operation programmes. At the same time, the Eastern Partnership should not be seen as an alternative to the action plans signed by the EU and partner countries within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy. Instead, it aims to give new impetus to existing co-operation initiatives. However, two factors make the Eastern Partnership different from past and ongoing co-operation formats.

(attached in English and in Georgian)

The expected normalisation in Turkish-Armenian relations may turn out to be the most momentous change in the security set-up of the South Caucasus since the break-up of the Soviet Union. Its results may even overshadow those of the August 2008 Russia-Georgia war which did not lead to a substantive redrawing of the map of regional alliances and disputes.

At this point in time, two fundamental uncertainties exist on this issue. The first is, whether the process will actually reach its conclusion. That is to say, whether the protocols signed on October 10 in Zürich by the two countries’ foreign ministers will be ratified by their respective legislatures, thus paving the way for the restoration of diplomatic relations and cross-border communications. One sticking point is the question of whether the ratification of the deal by the Turkish Parliament should be linked to the achievement of genuine progress in the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. On the other hand, there is resistance from within Armenian society among those who believe that the agreement would damage efforts to secure recognition of the Armenian genocide. Another big area of uncertainty is related to the impact that the rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia, if it does happen, will have on the regional security environment.

Many within the Georgian expert community think that the impending Turkish-Armenian deal implies inherent dangers for Georgia’s economic and security interests.

Forging Synergies within the Framework of the EU Eastern Partnership initiative

by Elżbieta Kaca, Researcher, European Programme, Institute of Public Affairs (ISP), Poland, and Jacek Kucharczyk, President, Institute of Public Affairs (ISP), Poland, in association with Jeff Lovitt, Executive Director, PASOS (Policy Association for an Open Society)

A policy paper by the Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD), Azerbaijan

ICPS Newsletter, #4 (467), 22 February 2010

(in English and in Ukrainian)

The paper is published with financial support of the Think Tank Fund of the Open Society Institute - Budapest. The opinions it contains are solely those of the author and do not reflect the position of the OSI TTF.

(See attachments for full paper in English and Georgian respectively)

CASE Network E-Brief, June 2009

Editor: Eva Blaszczynski, Author: Anders Aslund

MEGA, the new economic review by Expert-Grup, Moldova, sets out to explain the economic evolutions in Moldova, to update economic policy analysis, and to provide policy recommendations for advancing the country’s economic development. MEGA is conceived as a bi-annual review to be issued each spring and autumn.

A policy study, conducted byt the Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD), Azerbaijan. The book was published with the support of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung

(attached in English and in Georgian)

A range of reforms to Georgia’s general education system are underway. Alongside measures to improve access to education and increase the level of transparency and democratisation within the system, one of the main aims of the reforms is the improvement of the quality of education provided.

There are a number of problems associated with quality assurance in education. Firstly, no consensus exists within society on key issues. For example, what constitutes “quality” in education? Who is responsible for ensuring the quality of education? What effects does quality education have? There is also a lack of a specific strategy on how to go about improving educational standards. The supporting infrastructure needed to improve standards in schools is inadequate. Neither the state nor schools are working in tandem to achieve agreed outcomes.

This research paper was written by an expert group of the Economic Research Center, Azerbaijan, with funding support from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.

a report for the European Commission, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, by the Institute for Contemporary Studies (ICB), Albania

(full report and summary attached in English; summary also in Albanian)

ICPS Newsletter #27 (419), 15 September 2008,
a publication of the International Centre for Policy Studies, Kyiv, Ukraine
(in English and in Ukrainian)

European Democracy Assistance after EU Enlargement

Editors: Jacek Kucharczyk and Jeff Lovitt

A paper by the working group assembled by the Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (CIPDD)

Monthly analytical bulletin on Moldova, issued by Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul", Chisinau
(in English and Romanian)

Centre for Public policy PROVIDUS, Latvia, has published Learning to welcome: the integration of immigrants in Latvia and Poland, a publication that includes research about the legislation that influences the integration of immigrants – labour-market access, family-reunification conditions, anti-discrimination and political participation. The first part of the publication includes a review of EU standards and national policies found favourable for promoting these integration principles, based on the Migrant Integration Policy Index. This part also compares the state of integration policies in Latvia and Poland in a European context. The second part consists of a research paper on the integration of immigrants in Latvia, and the third part includes a study on the integration of immigrants in Poland.

The full text of the publication is available online at the PROVIDUS website: http://www.providus.lv/public/27166.html

Monthly analytical bulletin on Moldova, issued by Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul", Chisinau
(in English and Romanian)

The PASOS Annual Report 2007/2008 is now available in print and online, including contact details to hundreds of policy analysts in 40 independent think-tanks in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and details of joint cross-border projects by PASOS members, and a section highlighting where think-tanks are making a difference

in Azerbaijani and English

Last year can be considered as one of the most important years of activity of the Economic Research Center. As, along with enhancing co-operation with its existing partners, the Center added to the list of donors the names of famous foundations from Germany and Norway.

edited by Oľga Gyárfášová, Institute for Public Affairs, Slovakia

A quarterly newsletter from the Center for Research and Policy Making, Macedonia

CRPM Newsletter, December 2007