CSOs in the process of EU

integration:

Monitoring and advocacy tools

Tijana Cvjetićanin

Chernihiv, 17-18.11.2015.

The role CSOs can play

Watchdog

monitoring the processes, identifying problems, informing the

public

Partner

assisting the institutions in creating and implementing policies

Agent for change

advocating - putting your own issues on the agenda

The role CSOs can play

Not mutually exclusive; can and should complement each

other

A decision on which path to take depends on

The issues being tackled and the goals being set

The political, institutional and social climate

The attitudes of the decision makers

The capacities of the civil society

Taking part in the EU accession process

1. Understanding the process

2. Understanding the specific circumstances

3. Getting involved

1. Understanding the process: Legal and political framework

Enlargement policy and conditions for entering

The Copenhagen Criteria, European Neighbourhood Policy,

Eastern Partnership, Association agreement;

EU standards and values

Acquis; EU conventions and agreements;

The EU is not always consistent in following through the

official policies and declared values. CSOs might need to

act as a corrective mechanism to both domestic and EU

decision makers.

Examples: BiH experience

● The ECHR decision and the constitutional reform:

The issue of consistency

● 2013 Census and the 2014 Elections:

The issue of accuracy

● Reform agenda:

The issue of transparency

1. Understanding the process: The institutions

Identifying the relevant institutions and bodies

Within EU

Competences/issue specific

Country specific (Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary

Association Committee, Mission of Ukraine to the EU)

In Ukraine

Local (executive and legislative bodies)

EU (Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, Council of

Europe Office in Ukraine)

1. Understanding the process: The mechanisms

Competences/issue specific institutions of the EU

The Council of Europe: Human rights

Secretary General

Committee of Ministers

Parliamentary Assembly

European Court of Human Rights

Commissioner for Human Rights

Conference of International NGOs

Venice Commission (European Commission for Democracy

through Law): Constitutional law

1.Understanding the specific circumstances

The approach in monitoring/advocating should respond to

the specific conditions of the EU-Ukraine relations

Important questions:

What are the issues important for CSOs in the process?

What are the problems faced in the process?

What are the possibilities for the CSOs to get involved?

Getting involved

1. Setting up goals

2. Identifying opportunities

3. Finding partners

4. Working strategically

1. Setting up goals

The long-term/short term goals of CSOs monitoring and

advocating should be:

Determined by the real needs and the specific issues arising

from the EU-Ukraine relations

Realistic

Well planned

Kept in mind in all stages of work

1. Opportunities

Assuming a role in ongoing processes

Taking part in regular activities of the EU accession process

Following any new developments and staying involved

Reacting when needed

Introducing your own issues

Filling in the gaps of the official process

BiH experience: Progress report of the European

Commission and the work of the Initiative for monitoring

of EU integration of BiH

● Written contributions to the Progress report

Make sure your voice is heard in the process of making the

official report: Sending your contribution and getting involved

even if not formally invited

● Producing a Shadow report ○ Monitoring of the Political criteria

○ A large CSO coalition formed to cover all the necessary fields,

each in their own area of work/expertise

○ Alternative progress report published each year with the

overview of developments in the relevant fields

○ Important issues, left out of the official report, are covered

○ First-hand experience of CSOs put to use in the monitoring

process

● Making an impact

○ Written in local and English language

○ Public promotion: Press conference and media appearances

○ Web-tools for promotion and access to key findings

○ Distributed to all relevant actors in both EU and in the country

○ Meetings with relevant actors

Alternative progress report is published before the

consultations are closed, so it can be timely distributed to the

EC and other relevant institutions

● Making an impact

○ A comparative overview of the official and the shadow

report:

- How much of the alternative report has been taken into

account?

- Are there significant differences and where?

- What are the implications of the potential differences?

Croatia experience: Monitoring + Negotiations

● The Initiative 112:

○ Formed to monitor the implementation of Chapter 23, as the

working groups on this chapter had no CSO representatives

○ Came out with 112 demands of the civil society in the advanced

stage of EU accession process

○ Published a Shadow report

○ Advocated for the demands and managed to extend Chapter 23

by pointing to additional problems

1. Finding partners

Finding allies in the executive/legislative branch

Determining which institutions, or their representatives,

are willing to include the CSOs in the process

Establishing and keeping two-sided communications

Informal contacts with supportive members of the

institutions can be particularly important if the official

policy is not favorable to your goals and causes.

1. Finding partners

Finding allies in the civil sector

Establishing which CSOs share similar goals and ideas

about the process

Joining forces to make bigger impact

Connecting with CSOs from the countries which already

went through the process, to share experience, skills,

knowledge and resources

Having a joint vision is more important than making a

formal coalition

1. Working strategically

Agreeing on common goals

Establishing coordination structure

Determining where and by whom the best contributions can

be made: Staying within the field of expertise

Making a timed plan of activities: Paying attention to the EU

institutions and local “cycles” (elections, scheduled reports,

etc)

Case study

● What is the problem to be solved?

○ Decide on an issue you would like to work on

○ What would be the best approach to the problem?

○ Go through the steps to analyze the problem

○ Decide on the plan of activities

Case study

● Understanding the process

○ How is the problem regulated in the EU legal frame?

Which EU institutions are in charge?

● Understanding the specific circumstances

○ How is the problem related to the current phase of EU-

Ukraine relations?

○ Which local institutions are in charge? Who can influence

the course of actions?

○ How can you get involved in the process?

Case study

● Getting involved

○ Setting up goals:

■ What is the desired outcome?

■ What needs to change in order to achieve that?

■ How can it be achieved?

Case study

● Getting involved

○ Identifying opportunities

■ Where do you see a space for CSOs to get

involved?

■ What skills, knowledge and resources could you

put to use to influence the identified problem?

Case study

● Getting involved

○ Finding partners

■ Are there institutions/representatives in EU or

Ukraine who could be supportive of your goals?

■ What would be the most efficient way to establish

contact and potential partnership with them?

Case study

● Getting involved

○ Finding allies in the civil sector

■ Are there organizations interested in the same

problem?

■ How could they contribute to solving it?

■ What would be the most efficient way to establish

contact and potential partnership with them?

Case study

● Getting involved

○ Working strategically

■ Defining roles within the coalition/network

■ Agreeing on internal rules (decision making, public

outreach/relations)

■ Developing a plan of activities to achieve the set

goals (including monitoring, advocacy/public

campaining)