Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum and Business Forum in preparation of the November Summit

Two events for Civil Society and Business in the Eastern Partnership will take place today until the end of the week in Tallinn, Estonia in preparation of the 5th Eastern Partnership Summit (Brussels, 24 November). The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Conference, starting already today, will serve as a platform for representatives from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, as well as the EU Member States to discuss better governance, dialogue between governments and civil society, the use of technology to promote government transparency, and inclusive approaches to economic development. Ahead of the Forum, the High Representative/Vice-President, Federica Mogherini, said: “Civil society representatives are voices against corruption and for transparency and are an essential force in our daily work on so many issues, from fighting violence against women, to improving the media environment.” Tomorrow, On the same day the 4th Eastern Partnership Business Forum will gather more than 500 business leaders, government officials and policy makers from the European Union and Eastern Partner countries to debate on the ‘Digital Economy: Innovative Platform for Transparent Borderless Business’. Ahead of the visit, Johannes Hahn Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations: “Through the EU4Business initiative the EU is providing increasing support for small businesses to grow, export, innovate and adapt to a digital economy.”Press material summarising the outcomes of the fora will be available here. Videos and photos of the visit of Commissioner Hahn attending the fora will be available on EbS.