International round table “Do the new member states make a difference?”

On June 8 the Open Estonia Foundation is organizing a round table to explore contribution of the new member states to the EU policies towards the new neighbours.

Eastern neighbourhood is one of the most important priorities of new member states in the EU, and perhaps the most important one in EU external relations. The new members have a strong strategic interest in promoting stability and security beyond the EU’s eastern borders. In recent years Estonia has paid a lot of attention to Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, South Caucasus and this should be an important target for many years to come.

With a support of the Open Estonia Foundation Grzegorz Gromadzki from Stefan Batory Foundation and Kristi Raik from Finnish Institute of International Affairs have compiled a policy study "Do the new member states make a difference? The contribution of new member states to EU policies towards the Eastern neighbours." and conclusions of this study will be presented on the round table.

Round table participants will include Estonian civil society representatives active in a wide range of activities as building up civil society in Estonia has provided Estonian NGOs with a vast experience that is of interest to countries where the transition after the collapse of the Soviet Union has not been running as smoothly as in Estonia

Other participants include members of Estonian Parliament, government officials, scholars, EU-related public authorities from Estonia, students and journalists.

Outline of policy study can be found here, agenda of the round table can be found here.

Should you be interested in participating in the seminar or you would like to have more information, please contact Ms. Kelly Grossthal (kelly@oef.org.ee), phone: + 372 631 37 91, www.oef.org.ee