EUCAM Project
The European Union (EU) has signalled its intention to strengthen its engagement with the countries of Central Asia. Enhancing the Union’s relations with Central Asia will require the development of a range of activities that reflect the fine balance between the promotion of European values through initiatives to strengthen democratization, rule of law and respect for human rights and achieving the Union’s security and energy aims in the region. The immediate focus of this engagement will be the EU Strategy for Central Asia that was created in June 2007.
Given the dynamic character of the emerging EU approach to the states of Central Asia, FRIDE in co-operation with the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), have launched EUCAM, a project to monitor the implementation of the new EU approach to Central Asia. EUCAM is designed to raise the profile of the EU Strategy for Central Asia and more specifically to:
- Critically, though constructively, monitor the EU’s implementation of the Strategy;
- Enhance knowledge of the EU initiative toward Central Asia and to generate practical recommendations to strengthen the EU’s engagement with Central Asia;
- Raise awareness among European policy-makers and civil society on the importance of Central Asia and the EU’s engagement as well as explain and discuss EU policies among Central Asian communities;
- Establish a network of experts and civil society institutions from EU member states and Central Asian countries designed to strengthen awareness of the EU approach to the region and to provide a forum for a variety of communities to comment on the Strategy.
EUCAM focuses on four priority areas in order to find a mix between the broad political ambitions of the Strategy and the narrower practical priorities of EU institutions and member state assistance programmes:
• Democracy and Human Rights
• Security and Stability
• Energy and Natural Resources
• Education and Social Relations
This monitoring exercise is implemented by an Expert Working Group (EWG), established by FRIDE and CEPS. The group consists of experts from the Central Asian states and the members countries of the EU. Next to EWG meetings several public seminars are organised for a broad audience including EU representatives, national officials and legislators, the local civil society community, media and other stakeholders.
The EUCAM project is sponsored by the Open Society Institute (OSI) and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project is also supported by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs , the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), United Kingdom.
For more information and material please see the EUCAM web site
Or contact the project team:
• Nafisa Hasanova, EUCAM Coordinator, FRIDE/CEPS, Tel: +32(0)2 229 3917
• Jos Boonstra, EUCAM Co-chair, Senior Researcher, FRIDE, Tel: +34 91 244 47 55
• Neil Melvin, EUCAM Co-chair, Associate Senior Research Fellow, CEPS Tel: +32 (0)2 229 3918
See:
Newsletter 1
