The EU and Ukraine will hold their first Summit since the “Orange Revolution” on 1 December in Kiev. The Summit will take place at a vital point in the reform process in Ukraine. It will demonstrate how much has already been achieved under Ukraine’s new leadership, and the progress made in implementing the Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan, through which the EU is supporting Ukraine’s reform efforts. The Summit will provide the backdrop for the signing of three agreements between the EU and Ukraine – a memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation, and agreements on Galileo and Aviation. The summit is expected to announce that Ukraine has now met the technical criteria for the granting of Market Economy Status.

High Representative Javier Solana and European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, will represent the European Union (EU) in Odessa on 30 November at a ceremony to mark the launch of the EU Border Assistance Mission and the enhanced team of the EU Special Representative for Moldova. The Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Borys Tarasyuk and the Foreign Minister of Moldova, Andrei Stratan will also attend. The Border Assistance Mission will be headed by Brigadier-General Ferenc Banfi of Hungary, and will include border police and customs officials from 16 EU Member States. This Mission will help prevent smuggling, trafficking, and customs fraud, by providing advice and training to improve the capacity of the Moldovan and Ukrainian border and customs services. The Mission will work very closely with the team of the EUSR for Moldova Adriaan Jacobovits de Szeged, which is being strengthened with additional advisors in Kiev, Chisinau and Odessa on issues related to borders.

• The European Union, together with the EU members states, constitutes the largest block contributor to the Global Fund, bringing 55% of the USD 8.4 billion pledged to date
• The EU main financial commitment to the fight against HIV-AIDS in Ukraine therefore flows via the Global Fund program.

Ukraine has the most severe AIDS epidemic in Europe, with an estimated HIV prevalence of 1.4 percent of the adult population (360,000 people). The annual number of newly reported cases of HIV infection continues to rise. For example, in 2005 there were more than 11,000 new cases registered, bringing the total number of known cases to more than 85,000; the number of unregistered cases is estimated to be much higher. This is nearly double the number registered in 2000 and supports earlier concerns that the epidemic is rapidly spreading across Ukraine. With a substantial proportion of all cases under the age of 30, this epidemic poses a major threat to Ukraine’s youth and the country’s future. According to Ukrainian AIDS Centre data, the 1,700 deaths among patients with AIDS in 2005 is a record high.

The Delegation of the European Commission invites all media to a joint press conference by international donor agencies supporting HIV/AIDS programs in Ukraine will be held on November 30.

The joint announcement by these organizations will address the latest Government initiatives to fight against HIV/AIDS and present recommendation based on international experience.

This press conference will be very unique because it will be held jointly by a broad range of organizations that have been actively supporting Ukraine to fight HIV/AIDS epidemic through financial as well as technical means

Statements will be made by the following officials:

• Ian Boag, Head, Delegation of the European Commission in Ukraine
• Paul Bermingham, Director, Country Office for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, World Bank
• Jeremy Hartley, UNICEF Representative
• Earl Gast, Mission Director, US Agency for International Development (USAID)

The press conference will be held on November 30, 2005 in the premises of the EC Delegation (10, Kruhlouniveritetska St) at 13:00p.m.

For registration please contact Iryna Stadniychuk 2533020.

Javier SOLANA, European Union High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), and Benita FERRERO-WALDNER, External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy Commissioner, will visit Odessa and Kiev in Ukraine from Wednesday, 30 November to Thursday, 1 December.

On Friday 2 December 2005, the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU) will hold its 21^st Meeting of the STCU Governing Board, which will feature reports on STCU activities during 2005, policy guidance and budget approval for STCU activities in 2006, and financial approval of various science and technology projects in Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Uzbekistan.

The Delegation of the European Commission to Ukraine invites all media to the STCU press conference which will take place on December 2, at 12:00 PM.

The EU-funded Project “Establishment of Mortgage Market Rules and Legislation in Ukraine” organised a study tour for Ukrainian banks’ lead mortgage specialists to Germany and Poland on 16-23 November 2005.

The goal of this study tour was to expose the tour participants to modern techniques and approaches employed at the European mortgage market, its standards and functioning. The study tour has been meant to help the participants develop clear and viable mortgage operations based on the exchange of expertise with their European counterparts. Particularly, the study tour focused on mortgage loan origination standards, development of banking products, risk management policies, mortgage refinancing regulations and consumer protection instruments.

The Project “Improvement of logistic services and marketing channels for SMEs in agriculture” organized a study tour to Scotland “Livestock Market. The Scottish Experience”. on November 22 - 28, 2005.

The purpose of this study tour is to demonstrate modern European livestock market, its organization, logistics and functioning. The study tour will help develop a strategy for the livestock markets in Ukraine, draft and adopt relevant legislation necessary to organize a livestock market according to EU requirements and standards. In particular, the emphasis will be put on food safety standards, bio-security and veterinary regulations.

On the first anniversary of the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, the European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner said : "The new political reality in Ukraine was hard won through the courage and determination of the people. We all have a duty to ensure that their aspirations for a better future are not disappointed. Those who took to the streets in peaceful demonstrations, were demanding democracy, better government, and a chance for greater prosperity. The European Union is helping Ukraine to achieve these goals through intensive co operation under the European Neighbourhood Policy. One year on, Ukraine can point to important progress, but there is still much work to do. The EU will be there to support Ukraine's reform efforts every step of the way".

CIVIC EDUCATION
EuropeAid/1186788/C/SV/UA
Ukraine Civic Education Project

PILOT SCHOOL DIRECTORS’ WORKSHOPS
28/29 November 2005 (Kherson) and 12/13 December 2005 (Lutsk)

Two Project workshops, organised by Cambridge Education and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, will be held at Kherson and Lutsk In-Service Teacher Training Institutes (ITTIs) for 40 pilot schools directors and oblast Education Department representatives on 28 and 29 November and 12 and 13 December, respectively.

The Ministry of Education will be represented by Mrs Raisa Yevtushenko, Chief Specialist, Department of Secondary and Pre-School Education. The Cambridge Education consultancy team will be represented by David Royle (International Team Leader), Tetyana Ladychenko (National Teacher Training Expert), Svetlana Poznyak (National Curriculum Development Expert) and Polina Verbytska (National Community Development and Extra-curricular Activities Expert).

The theme of the workshops is: delivering civic education as a subject, as a cross-curricular and extra-curricular activity in teaching and learning. The main aims are: (1) to brief the pilot school directors and oblast Education Department officials on the main objectives of the project; (2) to listen to the experiences of school directors in delivering civic education and discuss any problems and issues; (3) to discuss the practical implementation of the project’s three main components (curriculum development), teacher training (including special educational needs teaching) and extra-curricular activities and agree an action plan; (4) to visit pilot schools and ITTIs.

For further information on the project please contact:

David Royle, International Team Leader, Cambridge Education
Ukraine Civic Education Project
16 Kudryavskaya Street, Office 3, 04053 Kyiv
Tel: (+380-44) 4665467; 2386389; 5685780; Fax: (+380-44) 2308102
E-mail: David.Royle@ced.kiev.ua Mobile: 80973700724

“Strategic planning for NPO”, “Effective fundraising”, “Volunteering”, “Basics of NPO legal status” – these topics have been discussed during the learning conference on Basic Management for Socially Oriented NPOs which took place in the recreation centre “Carpaty’s Legend” on November, 11-15.

The learning conference was conducted as a part of the educational program of the EC Project “Strengthening Civil Society”. More than 20 socially oriented NPOs from Chernivtsi and Rivne regions have delegated their representatives to the conference.

Despite quite general thematic areas, the entirely practical and applied models of NPO activities have been introduced to the participants. Thus, during the session on strategic planning, the participants were trying to draft the working plans for such institutions as Community Foundation and Volunteering Agency. During the session on effective fundraising, certain strategies for working with potential sponsors and partners were elaborated. Given that NPOs were socially oriented, much attention has been paid to regulations on social services provision.

As mentioned by some of participants, the learning conference enabled them “to mobilize all internal and external factors to gain necessary skills for working in public sector”.

Contact person:

Vyacheslav Sorokovsky
Head of Social Partnership Center in Chernivtsi
EC Project "Strengthening Civil Society"
tel./fax + 38 0372 55 67 28
Lomonosova St, 2, office 2
Chernivtsi, 58000, Ukraine
vsorokovski@civilsociety.org.ua

More about the EC Project “Strengthening Civil Society” - www.ngodevelopment.org.ua

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES WORKING GROUP MEETING

4 November, House of Teachers, Kyiv

A meeting of the project’s Extra-curricular Activities Working Group was held on 4 November in Kyiv. The main aim of the meeting was to discuss the extra-curricular activities component, based on the inception report and terms of reference, and plan the work of the group for the next six months.

Following the opening of the call for proposals for the micro grant program announced by the European Commission on the 2^nd November, the EC Project “Strengthening Civil Society” has organized group consultations for NGOs in the target regions via its regional representations – Social Partnership Centers.

Consultations took place in the target regions of the micro grant program - Kherson, Sumy, Poltava, Mykolaiv, Krasnoarmejsk, Donetsk, Rivne, Lutsk, Mukacheve and Chernivtsi during November 7-15. Over 250 representativies of NGOs, local authorities and mass media attended consultations and showed a great interest in the micro-grant program of the European Commission. Program documents were handed out and sent via e-mail to more than 200 organizations. In addition, press conference for mass media was organized in Lutsk.

Questions asked during consultations primarily concerned the mechanisms of micro-grant financing, priorities of financing, eligible expenditures, partnership in the project, methodology, interpreting terminology of the application form and peculiarities of translation.

Regional state administrations, as well as city councils, have assisted the organizers in logistics. In Rivne and Lutsk, representatives of regional departments of family and youth – the project partners on local level - personally welcomed the participants and wished them a good start and success in writing a good proposal.

The EC Project “Strengthening Civil Society” provides technical assistance to NGOs up to and during implementation of EC funded micro project program aimed at the implementation of socially oriented small projects in 9 regions of Ukraine. For more information, please visit our web site www.ngodevelopment.org.ua.

Contact person:

Tetiana Katsbert
Micro project expert
tkatsbert@civilsociety.org.ua

Further to the EU press conference held today 11 am, the Delegation of the European Commission to Ukraine today issued this clarification on the state of play concerning the market economy status for Ukraine:

“The European Commission has reached positive conclusions on Ukraine’s request for Market Economy Status. The process of consulting the Council of Ministers is now underway. While the formal decision making process is lengthy the Commission hopes that a positive decision in principle will be taken in time for the EU-Ukraine summit.”

Opening remarks by H.E. Robert Brinkley, Ambassador of Great Britain

The context for the EU-Ukraine Summit in Kyiv on 1 December is in many ways encouraging. Of course Ukraine must continue to work hard on political and economic reforms, as agreed in the EU-Ukraine Action Plan. This is the best way to promote Ukraine’s European integration.

The “Söderköping Thematic Workshop” on “Return and Readmission” will take place in Kiyv, Ukraine on 28-29 November, 2005. It is the third such thematic workshop organised within the framework of the Söderköping Process. The workshop will draw together: asylum, migration, border guard officials and representatives of non-governmental organisations from Belarus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine, as well as representatives of the European Commission (EC), the Swedish Migration Board (SMB), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The Delegation of the European Commission to Ukraine invites all media to an EU press conference which will take stock of EU-Ukraine relations in view of the upcoming EU-Ukraine summit on 1 December 2005.

The press conference will be held by:

• Robert Brinkley, Ambassador of Great Britain (EU Presidency)
• Ian Boag, Ambassador, Head of the EC Delegation to Ukraine
• Sigrid Berka, Chargée d'affaires a.i., Embassy of Austria (upcoming EU Presidency)

When: 16 November 2005, 11:00

Where: Delegation of the European Commission to Ukraine, Kruhlo-Universytetska 10

Accreditation with Irina Stadniychuk, Tel: 253 30 20.

On November 7, the Rivne Social Partnership Center of the EC Project “Strengthening Civil Society” has organized a presentation of the micro grant program of the European Commission. It was followed by consultations on the application procedure. The event was attended by the representatives of non-profit organizations, charitable funds and mass media featuring almost 20 persons. The Deputy Chief of Family and Youth Department of regional State Administration Vitaly Lipsky welcomed participants at the beginning of the meeting. He stressed the great importance of the Program and wished all participants a successful start. "Our department will do our best to help organizations win this micro-grant contest”, Mr. Lipsky said and called for an active participation in the program.

The call for proposals for the micro-grant program was announced by the Delegation of the European Commission on November 2, 2005. The Program will finance socially oriented projects of non-profit organizations in nine regions of Ukraine, among them Rivne and Volyn regions. The total sum of the allocated grant is 500.000 euro.

Representatives of Rivne Social Partnership Center - Sergiy Pinchuk and Olga Kashevska - introduced the micro grant program of the European Commission and handed out all necessary materials for the applicants, including the Guidelines for grant applicants, application forms and supporting literature. In general, program documents were spread among nearly 50 organizations. During the consultation, many questions were asked concerning the mechanisms of micro-grant financing, priorities of financing, eligible expences etc. The event showed a great interest on the side of representatives of non-profit organizations in the micro-grant program of the European Commission. We wish them a good luck and success in writing a good proposal.

The EC Project “Strengthening Civil Society” provides technical assistance to NGOs up to and during implementation of EC funded micro project program aimed at the implementation of socially oriented small projects in 9 regions of Ukraine.

Contact person:

Tetiana Katsbert
MP expert
tkatsbert@civilsociety.org.ua
www.ngodevelopment.org.ua

Press Conference will be devoted to summarizing the results of the EU Project “Capacity building of local NGOs in providing focused social support to vulnerable families with children“. The Project is being implemented in Kyiv and Lviv oblasts as well as in the Crimea republic during two years from December 2003 to December 2005 by the international NGO ”EveryChild” (Representative office in Ukraine). The Project’s partners are All-Ukrainian NGO “The Ukrainian League of Social Workers” and the British Association of Social Workers.

KYIV, 1 November 2005 – A study of labour markets in ten Ukrainian regions most affected by human trafficking, conducted under an European Union (EU) project, was today presented at a seminar in the Crimean capital Simferopol.

All media are invited to a press conference given by European Commissioner Ján Figel’ on Thursday, 10 November 2005, 3 pm, at the Delegation of the European Commission to Ukraine (Kruhlo-Universitetska 10).

Accreditation with Mrs Iryna Stadniychuk, (044) 253 30 20.

All media are invited to a press conference organised within the framework of the project « Co-operation of Public Bodies with Civil Organisations in the Process of Agrarian Policy Design and Implementation in Ukraine”. This project is funded by the European Union and is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry and Rural Affairs, France in cooperation with the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, Ukraine and the Hellenic Ministry of Agriculture, Greece. The Ukrainian partner of the project is the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, represented by the Ukrainian Project Leader, and Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy, Mr. Y.M. DEMCHAK.