- Speech
The Chair of the Steering Committee of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, Mr. Lasha Tughushi, held a speech at the Senior Officials’ Meeting, the executive meeting bringing together the European Commission, EEAS, and high-level civil servants from the EU Member States and the EaP countries.
Speech by Mr. Lasha Tughushi, Chair of the EaP CSF Steering Committee
“Dear representatives of European Institutions and Member States,
Dear Eastern Partners,
Dear colleagues,
I am honoured to speak to you today on behalf of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum.
Over the past years, the Eastern Partnership has provided structured channels for civil society to participate in policymaking, regional networks, and dialogue with the European Union.
This encouraged cross-border cooperation and helped reinforce democratic resilience across the region.
Despite geopolitical shifts, internal political crises, and ongoing conflicts – regional trends indicate that EaP civil society remains crucial for democratic development, the rule of law, and European integration.
Yet – authoritarian pressures, shrinking resources, limited institutionalised participation, and disinformation campaigns are undermining civil society’s operations.
EU enlargement remains an existential goal for the EaP countries.
And EU accession a security guarantee for Ukraine.
The strength of Ukrainian civil society is the foundation of Ukraine’s resilience in the face of the ongoing Russia’s war of aggression.
Amid war, Ukrainian civil society continues to push for reforms engaging in defence, governance, and recovery efforts.
The war has significantly strained human resources in the civic sector, yet civil society remains remarkably active.
However, there is a trend towards narrowing civic space in terms of access to information and participation in decision-making.
In the Republic of Moldova, civil society is a key partner and supporter of EU integration and policy reform.
At the same time, it still faces threats from pro-Russian politicians through smear campaigns and legal harassment.
We believe that the accession process to the European Union for Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova should be accelerated.
Over the last years, in Armenia, civil society gained strong public support.
There, civil society actively monitors government policies and contributes to key reforms on anti-corruption and the judiciary.
However – looking at June’s parliamentary elections – its watchdog functions are weakened by limited resources, in a context where disinformation and hybrid threats from abroad are intensifying.
In this regard, Armenian civil societies are being actively supported by their Moldovan colleagues through capacity building in order to counter anti-EU narrative spread during elections, and provide correct and comprehensive information to the public.
There is a new kind of momentum in the country. Civil society and pro-European political forces are joining efforts to shape the country’s political agenda.
The law launching Armenia’s accession process to the EU was submitted through the efforts of the “Eurovote” civic initiative, whose founding members are primarily representatives of the Armenian National Platform of the Civil Society Forum.
Armenia’s accelerated EU integration efforts are an inspiration for its neighbors.
In Georgia, my home country, civil society, activists, and democratic forces continue a sustained, daily fight to maintain democratic freedoms, despite escalating repression – including the recent package of laws tightening control over foreign funding for NGOs and media.
EU flexible funding instruments are needed to continue support Georgian civil society – including for organisations forced to flee the country due to criminal persecution.
Support for Georgian civil society in this challenging context constitutes a strong impetus for the country’s return to the European family.
In Azerbaijan, civil society continues to face restrictions on operations, foreign funding and registration of grants.
Independent media are under high pressure.
Activists face arrests and harassment, while human rights activists living in exile are also faced with acts of intimidation.
The establishment of mechanisms and coordinated fora for international donors and NGOs should be promoted to coordinate strategies for supporting civil society and media.
The Forum will continue to channel the voice of Belarusian civil society.
Systematic dismantling of organisations and forced exile of activists continue, while grassroots movements inside the country remain largely invisible.
Under these circumstances, continuing to support civil society operating from abroad remains vital.
In this diversified environment, the Eastern Partnership policy can be leveraged to:
- Maintain connections between civil society actors;
- Strengthen resilience against hybrid threats, disinformation and external interferences – through capacity building and technical assistance;
- Facilitate dialogue via regular fora; and
- Coordinate targeted support through:
- flexible and innovative instruments for civil society operating in restrictive environment; and
- civil society intermediaries from other EaP countries.
Speaking about the EaP Multi-Annual Workplan, we are glad to see that interaction with the EU Member States is reflected in the planned regional events for 2026.
A strong focus on digital transformation and transition, and connectivity, results evident from the calendar, in line with the strategic approach to the Black Sea.
Existing partnerships in trade, energy, transport and digital sectors in the South Caucasus will be instrumental in unlocking investment opportunities within the Black Sea.
At the same time, civil society’s oversight will be essential to ensure that these will be to the benefit of the communities.
To this end, civil society should be able to take part in structured consultation mechanisms with local actors.
The working group for gender equality remains an important forum where civil society experts – including Belarusian civil society – share recommendations on gender-based violence and women’s access to justice andbring success stories from the countries.
The Civil Society Forum will continue to engage with relevant actors to work on its flagship projects. I will conclude by mentioning two of them.
- In May, in Stockholm, 100 youth representatives will gather in the EaP Youth Conference to discuss the importance of youth civic spaces in the Eastern Partnership. Youth civic spaces enable young people to participate in public life and engage in reform process. In a context where key electoral campaigns were marked by active online disinformation, young people assess the information they encounter online, identify sources they can trust, and make well-informed decisions.
- And second: after 8 years, the Civil Society Summit is back in an EaP country. In November, Chisinau will host the largest gathering of civil society representatives from the EaP and the EU, who will discuss the most pressing questions regarding the region, countries and policy.
I will stop here. Thank you for your attention. I wish you a productive continuation of the meeting.”
