European Intercultural Festival: Competition on EU-Belarus Policy Proposals Has Started

Mon, 2013-05-06 16:44

European Intercultural Festival: Competition on EU-Belarus Policy Proposals Has Started

 As a part of the European Intercultural Festival 2013, Office for a Democratic Belarus with its partners organises a competition for proposals on how to improve cooperation between the European Union and Belarus. The organisers hope to collect concrete proposals from the Belarusian public on the best ways to develop EU-Belarus relations in the future. The best proposals will be published and handed over to experts working on EU projects for possible realisation. The finalists will be chosen by an international jury consisting of representatives of organising institutions and leading international research centres on European politics.  The winner will receive an electronic book reader and the first and second runner ups will also be awarded memorable prices.

Areas for suggestions:

  • 1.       higher education;
  • 2.       environmental protection;
  • 3.       economic modernization;
  • 4.       civil society development;
  • 5.       food safety;
  • 6.       cross-border cooperation/visa issues/ migration;
  • 7.       intercultural cooperation;
  • 8.       social sphere (social inclusion, pension reform, youth policy)
  • 9.       regional and rural development;
  • 10.   health care
  • 11.   small and media business

The annual European Intercultural Festival is a joint project between Belarusian and international organisations, as well as European diplomatic representations in Minsk. The aim of the festival, which is held in May in Minsk and other large Belarusian cities, is to provide Belarusians the possibility to learn more about the history and culture of EU member states and the other states taking part in the Eastern Partnership Initiative – Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

Partners: The Office for a Democratic Belarus (Brussels), the Office for European Expertise and Communication (Minsk), the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies (Vilnius, Lithuania), the Youth Education Centre "FIALTA" (Minsk), information partner "New Europe" (Minsk), "Liberal Club" (Minsk), the Third Sector (Hrodna), "Agency for Regional Development "Strategic Thinking" (Homel); information partner: tut.by