Invitation to the Civil Society Dialogue
TAKING STOCK FOR A REVISED EUROPEAN
NEIGHBORHOOD POLICY (SOUTH)
1. Summary
On 11 December CONCORD and Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) will be organizing – in
cooperation with SOLIDAR and the European Endowment for Democracy – a Civil Society Dialogue at
the European Parliament with representatives from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and
representatives from the European Union. This dialogue will be focused on:
1. Promoting Policy Coherence for Development as part of the European Neighborhood Policy;
2. The role of Civil Society in the partnership: prospects and challenges.
2. Background
The Arab Spring has fundamentally changed the political landscape of Europe’s Southern neighborhood
– the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – and clearly revealed the need for a new social contract
based on respect for fundamental freedoms, dignity and rule of law, in addition to the revision of social
and economic policies towards ensuring sustainable development and economic and social justice. In the
aftermath of the uprisings, the EU offered its Southern Mediterranean partner countries “A partnership for
democracy and shared prosperity” in the context of the revised European Neighborhood Policy that
focused on democratic transformation, a partnership with people and civil society, and sustainable and
inclusive growth.
However, despite high expectations and after more than two years, the revolutions have thus far been
unable to produce consolidated and stable democracies and an unsustainable growth-based economic
model remains being promoted by national actors. Thus, while significant changes have been produced in
all countries, the MENA region is still lagging behind the promises of the Arab Spring. This was also
reflected in the Mission Letter of the new EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and
Enlargement Negotiations, which called upon the European Institutions to “develop and strengthen our
Neighbourhood policy to promote stability at Europe’s borders and help neighboring countries to develop
and support stable democratic institutions and to become more prosperous, by drawing the full benefit
from their association agreements with the EU. The European Neighbourhood Policy should appropriately
distinguish between the specific situations of different parts of Europe’s Neighbourhood.
3. Proposed thematic of the Civil Society dialogue
1. Promoting Policy Coherence for Development as part of the European
Neighborhood Policy
Through Policy Coherence for Development (PCD), the EU seeks to take account of development
objectives in all of its policies that are likely to affect developing countries. It aims at minimizing
contradictions and building synergies between different EU policies to benefit developing countries and
increase effectiveness of development cooperation, and has been anchored in the Treaty of Lisbon. The
dialogue is of utmost relevance in order to strengthen Europe’s approach towards the region and to tackle
the persistent fundamental challenges, promote stability at Europe’s borders and help neighboring
countries to develop and support stable democratic institutions and to become more prosperous.
Elements to be discussed include :i. Strengthening the rights-based approach in the EU development
model (and the role of the private sector ) towards the region; ii. Reinforcing trade and investment policies
with Arab Countries; iii. Enhancing the social dimension of EU policies to tackle rising, widespread
inequalities; iv. Building solidarity within EU immigration and Asylum Policy.
1. The role of Civil Society in the Partnership: prospects and Challenges
Reacting to events in the Arab world in 2011, the EU offered its Mediterranean partners a ‘partnership for
democracy and shared prosperity’ founded on an incentive-based approach supporting partners
committed to reforms. It focuses on democratic transformation, a partnership with people and civil society,
and sustainable and inclusive growth. The partnership with civil society has be based on a bottom up
approach, guaranteeing on all stages an enabling environment conducive to exchange information
between civil society and institutions, as well as promote an enabling environment between governments
in the region and its citizenry. Elements to be discussed could include: i. Civil society dialogue in the
region: cases from Egypt and Palestine, ii. Dialogues with EU delegations and the implementation of EU
CSO Roadmaps, iii. The regional approach: ENP South Civil Society Forum and iv. Defining new priorities
for the Civil Society Facility.
4. About the organizers
ANND is a regional network, working in 12 Arab countries with nine national networks (with an
extended membership of 250 CSOs from different backgrounds) and 23 NGO members. ANND aims
at strengthening the role of civil society, enhancing the values of democracy, respect of human rights
and sustainable development in the region. ANND advocates for more sound and effective socioeconomic reforms in the region, which integrate the concepts of sustainable development, gender
justice, and the rights-based approach.
CONCORD is the European confederation of Relief and Development NGOs composed by 28
national associations, 18 international networks and 2 associate members that represent over 1,800
NGOs, supported by millions of citizens across Europe. CONCORD works to ensure that the EU and
member states are fully committed to and implement comprehensive and coherent policies towards
the developing world that are based on the principles of solidarity, human rights, justice and
democracy, and which aim to address the causes of poverty and conflict and promote sustainable
economic and social development
5. Preliminary Program
EU-Arab Civil Society Dialogue
TAKING STOCK FOR A REVISED EUROPEAN
NEIGHBORHOOD POLICY (SOUTH)
When: Brussels, 11th December 2014
Where: European Endowment for Democracy
Register in this link
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Moderator: Maurice Claassens, SOLIDAR
 Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement
9.15-10.00

Negotiations (TBC)
Jerzy Pomianowski, Secretary General of the European Endowment for Democracy


Ziad Abdel Samad, Director of ANND
Antonella Valmorbida, Secretary General of ALDA- The European Association for
Local Democracies and Chair of the EPAN working Group of CONCORD.
Session One (10.00-13.00)
Promoting Policy Coherence for Development as part of the European Neighborhood Policy
Rapporteur: Marina Sarli; CONCORD Greece
Strengthening the rights-based approach in the EU development model (and the role
10.00-10.20
10.50-11.10
11.40-12.00
12.30-12.45
of private sector) towards the region,
Speakers:
Mohammad Saadi ,ANND Delegate from Morocco
CONCORD
Reinforcing trade and investment policies with Arab Countries, Speakers:
Kinda Mohamadieh ,ANND Delegate from Lebanon
11.11.11 CNCD
Enhancing the social dimension of EU policies to tackle rising, wide-spread
inequalities
Speakers:
Ahmad Awwad ,ANND Delegate from Jordan
Al Huthaili, ANND Delegate from Tunisia
Manuela Smolinski, Save the Children (TBC)
Building solidarity within the EU Immigration and Asylum Policy.
Speakers:
Sophia Wirsching (TBC)Brot für die Welt, CONCORD Working Group in Migration & ANND
Delegate (TBC)
Lunch Break (13.00-14.00)
Session Two (13.00-16.30)
The Role of Civil Society in the partnership: prospects and challenges
Moderator: Ziad Abdel Samad,Director of ANND
Rapporteur: CONCORD
14.00-14.20
14.40-15.00
15.20-15.40
16:00-16:20
Civil society dialogue in the region: cases from Egypt and Palestine
Speakers:
Khlaed Mansour, ANND Delegate from Egypt
Mohsen Ramadan, ANND Delegate from Palestine
The regional approach: ENP South Civil Society Forum
Speakers:
Thomas MC-Grath and Peter Gebert, EEAS (TBC)
Zahra Bazzi, ANND Delegate from Lebanon
Defining new priorities for the Civil Society Facility
Speakers:
Karima Saqui,DG DEVCO (TBC)
ANND
discussion
Coffee break
Session Three: Concluding Policy Recommendations and Strategic networking between
European and Arab CSOs
Defining common Advocacy points “Taking Stock for a revised European
17.00-18.00
Neighborhood Policy” (South)
This event was organized with the support of: