INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE „CIVIL SOCIETY
TRANSFORMATIONS ON THE WAY TO EUROPEAN UNION“,
ZAGREB, 17-19 APRIL, 2013
The EU accession process has improved cooperation
between the civil society organizations and the public
sector.
The Conference will be opened by Vesna Pusić, Minister of Foreign
and European Affairs and First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic
of Croatia.
Zagreb, 4 April 2013 –The EU accession process has had a positive effect on the
relations between the civil society organizations (CSOs) and the public sector,
leading to a mild improvement in a quarter of cases, while 18.6% of examinees who
answered this question found this improvement to be significant. These are results
of the opinion poll conducted among the representatives of the CSOs as a part of
the research titled “The Role of Croatian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the
EU Accession Process”. Likewise, the examinees who answered this question in
almost 50 % of cases held that the accession process had a positive effect on the
quality of partnerships between the CSOs and other institutions through
enhancement of their mutual relations, whereby in almost 46% of cases they
continued to cooperate following the forging of initial partnerships in the preaccession process.
The research will be presented at the International Conference “Civil Society
Transformations on the Way to European Union” to be held between 17 and 19 April
in Zagreb, hosted by the Office of Technical Assistance for Civil Society
Organizations in Croatia (TACSO), in cooperation with the Technical Assistance
Offices in other IPA countries. The Conference will be opened on 17 April by the
Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and First Deputy Prime Minister of the
Republic of Croatia Vesna Pusić, with keynote speeches by the Representative of
the President of the Republic Zrinka Vrabec Mojzeš, the Head of the EU
Delegation to the Republic of Croatia Paul Vandoren and the Head of the Regional
Programmes and Cooperation Unit of the Directorate General for Enlargement of
the European Commission Nicola Bertolini.
During this two-day Conference, the participants will have the opportunity to hear
about the experiences and challenges which the CSOs are facing in the Western
Balkans countries and Turkey during the EU accession process, as well as the
changes that the CSOs and their stakeholders underwent during that process. The
Conference will highlight the potential of exchange of experiences with the Croatian
CSOs that can use their know-how to assist their counterparts in the Western
Balkans countries and Turkey in the EU accession process.
- Croatia is frequently referred to as a model that should be followed in creating an
enabling environment for the development of civil society. However, at the
conference we would like to take a critical look on the so-called „Croatian Model“ in
light of our accession to the EU and the applicability of the model in other IPA
countries. Civil Society Organizations are extremely important in the process of
European integrations, as they can facilitate faster implementation of reforms and
ensure wide representation of beneficiaries and specific areas of interest. Therefore,
the recommendations that will be adopted in the end of the Conference will be
addressed to the Directorate General for Enlargement of the European Commission
and the Governments of the Western Balkan countries and Turkey, along with the
civil society organizations in the region – says Aida Bagić, Resident Advisor at
TACSO Croatia.
Representatives of the civil society organizations of Albania, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey will take
part in the Conference together with guests from the countries of the European
Union.
The Conference is structured so as to encourage dialogue on topics that are not
frequently discussed. Thus, Indraneel Sircar from Great Britain will talk about the
influence of donors on the development of civil society organizations and donor
heritage in the countries where they are present. Owing to her extensive research
experience acquired in the region, Natasha Wunsch from Germany will speak about
the role of civil society organizations in the EU accession process and the
interaction between the civil society organizations and EU counterparts in Brussels.
Paul Stubbs will speak about the development of Croatian activism over the past
twenty years, while Meric Ozgunes from Turkey will look for answers about the role
played by the EU in promoting minority rights and culture in Turkey. Christine
Bedoya Mendoza will present the opportunities for international development
cooperation in networking the countries of the Western Balkans and Turkey with the
EU. Experts from Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania will also share their
experiences.
ABOUT TACSO:
Technical Assistance for Civil Society Organizations – TACSO is an EU funded project. The
main objective of the project is the strengthening of capacities of civil society organizations
in the Western Balkans and Turkey, including the work on public policies relevant to the civil
society, networking, establishing dialogue between CSOs and other institutions and
increasing the visibility of CSOs. TACSO has offices in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey. TACSO Regional Office is
located in Sarajevo. For more information about TACSO please visit www.tacso.org
Contact - Maksima komunikacije for TACSO:
Ružica Ilak Filipović
F. Račkoga 11, Zagreb
T: +385 (0)1 455 22 27
M: +385 (0) 91 1186 186
E: press@maksima.hr