Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum
EaP CSF is the largest umbrella organisation of NGOs from the Eastern Partnership region and the EU, working together with 1000+ organisations to promote European integration, facilitate reforms and democratic transformations in the six Eastern Partnership countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Thanks to its unique permanent observer status in the official multilateral EaP architecture, EaP CSF ensures the participation of civil society in the process of planning, monitoring, and implementation of the EaP policy.
Role within SHAPEDEM-EU
Within the SHAPEDEM-EU project, EaP CSF brings the perspective of the civil society from the Eastern Neighbourhood, recalling the importance of listening to local voices in the attempt to analyse and rethink the policies and practices of EU democracy support in the region. Through its diverse membership and expertise, EaP CSF aims at bridging the gap between academic and institutional discourses on democracy and democracy support with concrete examples of activism, advocacy campaigns, and bottom-up initiatives that contribute to democracy and democratisation.
Our vision for SHAPEDEM-EU
The long-term contribution of civil society actors in the process of democratisation and democracy consolidation in the EaP region is undeniable. Since its inception in 2009, the Forum and its members have been an active counterpart of the EU institutions and EaP partners in framing, developing, adjusting, and rethinking the EaP policy – an ambitious project founded on the concept of democracy and common fundamental values. Given the scope of SHAPEDEM-EU and EaP CSF’s mission, we are a natural partner that can leave a footprint on the way the EU will rekindle its democracy support practices in the EaP region and will impact the lives of millions.