Manifestations of the Existing Distrust in Russian-Armenian Relations and Their Impact on Integration Projects – October 12, 2016, Yerevan, round table discussion organized by Yerevan Press Club with the support of Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The participants (30 in number) were representatives of diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia, expert community, NGOs and media of Armenia.
Tension in Russian-Armenian Relations: Grounds and Consequences For the Integration Projects – September 30 – October 2, 2016, Aghveran, Armenia, seminar organized by Yerevan Press Club with the support of Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The participants (27 in number) were representatives of media, expert community of Armenia and members of the Armenian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum. Main issues discussed: September 18, 2016 parliamentary elections in the Russian Federation and their possible impact on the Post-Soviet region; spectrum of RA political parties and foreign policy tendencies ahead of the parliamentary elections in Armenia; peculiarities of coverage of Armenian events in the Russian media; complementary policy of Armenia: a view from outside; change in public discourse on integration processes after April and July events of 2016; process of EU-Armenia negotiations.
Local Self Government Elections in the context of Reforms to Local Self Governance Field – September 23-25, 2016, Aghveran, Armenia, seminar organized by Yerevan Press Club in the frames of “Civic Engagement in Local Governance” project implemented by YPC in partnership with Communities Finance Officers Association and supported by USAID. The participants (41 in number) listed representatives of political parties, NGOs and media of Armenia. Main issues discussed: civic engagement in the September 18 local self-government bodies elections; local self-government bodies elections and media; the strategy of “Civil Contract” party in LSG elections; factors of participative local self-governance in Armenia: CELoG 2015 survey results; public petition as a tool of population participation in local self-governance; results of the 2015 monitoring of local self-governance of Armenia.
New Geopolitical Challenges and Armenia’s Internal Resources to Confront Them – July 26, 2016, Yerevan, round table discussion organized by Yerevan Press Club with the support of Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The participants (35 in number) were representatives of diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia, expert community, NGOs and media of Armenia.
Current Issues of Local Self-Government Sector – July 20-22, 2016, Aghveran, Armenia, seminar organized by Yerevan Press Club in the frames of “Civic Engagement in Local Governance” project implemented by YPC in partnership with Communities Finance Officers Association and supported by USAID. The participants (41 in number) listed representatives of Armenian state structures, local self-government bodies, political parties, NGOs and media. Main issues discussed: reform of the electoral system of local self-government bodies; capacity building of local observation organizations; strategy of “Bright Armenia” (“Lusavor Hayastan”) party in the upcoming elections to local self-government bodies; strategy of “GALA” party in the upcoming elections to local self-government bodies; actual challenges in the field of civil protection; main issues of civil protection in the borderline settlements.
New Geopolitical Challenges and Armenia’s Internal Resources to Confront Them – July 8-10, 2016, Aghveran, Armenia, seminar organized by Yerevan Press Club with the support of Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The participants (28 in number) were representatives of media, expert community of Armenia and members of the Armenian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum. Main issues discussed: current phase of the fight against corruption; RA new tax legislation from the standpoint of SME sphere development perspectives; peace dialogue: are all resources exhausted?; EaEU enlargement policy and its geopolitical significance; NATO Summit: what to expect?; post-Brexit perspectives for EU Eastern Partnership.
Regional Developments and Their Implications on the Integration Processes of Armenia – June 28, 2016, Yerevan, round table discussion organized by Yerevan Press Club with the support of Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The participants (45 in number) were representatives of diplomatic missions accredited in RA, media, expert community of Armenia and members of the Armenian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum.
Civic Engagement in Local Self Governance: New Challenges and Issues – June 17-19, 2016, Aghveran, Armenia, seminar organized by Yerevan Press Club in the frames of “Civic Engagement in Local Governance” project implemented by YPC in partnership with Communities Finance Officers Association and supported by USAID. The participants (40 in number) listed representatives of Armenian local self-government bodies, NGOs and media. Main issues discussed: new challenges in the process of reforms in local self-government; new draft laws on amendments to the Armenian legislation and main issues of local self-government, possibility of civil society engagement in decision-making process; improvement of mechanisms of civic engagement in community governance information system, civic engagement in the process of development and adoption of RA new Electoral Code; corruption risks in local self-government bodies.
Regional Developments and Their Implications on the Integration Processes of Armenia – May 13-15, 2016, Aghveran, Armenia, seminar organized by Yerevan Press Club with the support of Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The participants (32 in number) were representatives of media, journalistic organizations, member NGOs of the Armenian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, RA National Assembly deputies. Main issues discussed: prospects of Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union; shift in public perception of geopolitical developments and its implications on external politics of Armenia; discussions around European values as a European value itself; actual developments within the EaP Civil Society Forum; security challenges of Armenia in the context of the country’s integration policies; discourse on integration models in the media.
Current Problems of Local Self Government in the Context of the Amendments to the RA Constitution and the Electoral Code – April 8-10, 2016, Aghveran, Armenia, seminar organized by Yerevan Press Club in the frames of “Civic Engagement in Local Governance” project implemented by YPC in partnership with Communities Finance Officers Association and supported by USAID. The participants (32 in number) listed representatives of Armenian local self-government bodies, state structures, NGOs and media. Main issues discussed: process of reforms in the sphere of local self-government; reform of local self-government bodies in the context of the amendments to the RA Constitution and Electoral Code; key issues of communities’ enlargement; coverage of local self-government bodies’ elections; local self-government bodies’ commitment to ensure transparency and accountability in their work; role of InfoTuns (information centers) in ensuring civic engagement.
Integration Processes in the Context of Armenia’s External and Internal Policies – April 5, 2016, Yerevan, round table discussion organized by Yerevan Press Club with the support of Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The participants (35 in number) were representatives of media, civil society organizations and expert community of Armenia.
Integration Processes of Armenia in the Current Geopolitical Environment – March 18-20, 2016, Aghveran, Armenia, seminar organized by Yerevan Press Club with the support of Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The participants (27 in number) were representatives of diplomatic missions accredited in RA, media, journalistic organizations, expert community of Armenia and members of the Armenian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum. Main issues discussed: process and perspectives of EU-Armenia relations; migrant issue in Europe: the policy of Germany; economic indicators of Armenia’s Accession to EaEU for the year 2015; RA integration processes in the agenda of Armenian political parties; information component of Armenia’s integration processes; current situation in the countries that signed the EU EaP Association Agreement: parallels with Armenia.
Meeting of Heads of Media that Joined the Self-Regulation Initiative and Signed the Code of Ethics of Armenian Media and Journalists – February 27-28, 2016, Aghveran, Armenia. The event was organized by Yerevan Press Club in the frames of “Media for Informed Civic Engagement” project implemented by YPC in partnership with the Media Initiatives Center and supported by USAID. The participants (31 in number) included heads, representatives of media and NGOs who joined the self-regulation initiative, members of Media Ethics Observatory (MEO). Main issues discussed: project of recommendations on counteracting propaganda in the media, developed by the Network of Media Self-Regulation Organizations; new challenges for the media in the context of “Delfi” and “Magyar Tartalomszolgáltatók Egyesülete and Index.hu Zrt v. Hungary” court cases; MEO activities of 2015; rotation of two MEO members.
