EU raises the pressure

Kommersant Ukraine reports that the EU has decided to stimulate the activities of NGOs in Eastern Europe.

The EU is continuing to seek levers of influence on Ukraine’s leaders, while in Brussels support is being increased for NGOs in the EU’s East European neighbours who can put pressure on the authorities, demanding democratic reforms. Members of the Ukrainian nongovernmental second called on the EU yesterday to block the signing of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement until Kyiv bows to pressure and carries out democratic changes in the country.

The European Union’s Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum ended on Wednesday. It has been held now for three years running however this year's meeting was on a larger scale.  Štefan Füle

, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy stated that the processes taking place in Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan prompt the EU to active their support for NGOs in the region. He added that the main task was to involve civic organizations in forcing their governments to carry out democratic reforms.

He said that extra funds were being allocated this year with the overall amount coming to 31 million EUR.

He said that this figure would be increasing.

Kommersant Ukraine says that according to their information, other donors are also planning to renew their funding strategy.  Irina Solonenko from the International Renaissance Foundation says that they will be cooperating with trade unions, business associations, consumers’ associations in order to increase pressure on the authorities to carry out the reforms and transformations which the EU demands of Ukraine.

From a report at http://kommersant.ua/doc/1827459