NGO’s from EU states and Russia to meet in The Hague

From 5 till 7 October over 50 Russian Non-Governmental Organisations will visit The Hague to attend a Forum meeting with colleague organisations form the European Union. Important issues on the agenda are the mutual cooperation between these organisations and the relations between the Russian Federation and the EU. The results of this forum will be presented during a public event in The Hague on 7 October. Official representatives from Russia and the EU will react to and comment on these results. The Russian Federation will be represented by the Head of the Human Rights Advisory Council to President Vladimir Putin Mr. Mikhail Fedotov; the European Union by the European External Action Service (EEAS) Director for Europe and Central Asia Mr. Luis Felipe Fernándes de la Peña. Netherlands Foreign Minister Mr. Frans Timmermans will also speak during the event (tentative).

A panel discussion with experts and the audience will conclude the formal part of the public session. Afterwards a simple lunch will be served during which there will be time and space for Forum members and visitors to engage in discussion and networking in an informal way.

Amongst the Russian participants are many NGO’s which are currently under increasing pressure from the government, including Golos, The Moscow Helsinki Group, the Russian LGBT-Network and Memorial.

The EU-Russia Civil Society Forum is a cooperation of over 120 NGO’s and Civil Society organisations from Russia and the European Union. The organisation was founded on the wish and need to strengthen and streamline the ties between different Russian and EU organisations working on Civil Society, Rule of Law and Democratisation. At the yearly General Assembly the members formulate goals, strategies and methods and discuss recent developments and challenges to their work. The coordination and organisation of this year’s Assembly lies in the hands of the Netherlands Helsinki Committee. For more information on the organisation and for an overview of its members, please click here.

The formal session of the public event will take place from 9.00 till 12.00 at the NH Hotel Den Haag (Margrietplantsoen 100, The Hague). The public event will be conducted in English and Russian, with provided simultaneous translation. To register, please do not hesitate to contact Tim van der Maarel at: tvandermaarel@nhc.nl