Civil society

The recent German-Italian Action Plan for strategic cooperation envisages comprehensive collaboration in various fields. Participants of the Spinelli Forum 2024 develop recommendations on how to put it into practise.

On the eve of the European Council’s decision on Moldova’s EU Accession Negotiations in December 2023, a group of German think tankers, researchers, civil society and media representatives visited the Republic of Moldova.

How can German-Ukrainian relations be sustainably expanded in times of war and in which areas is support most urgently needed? At the 2nd German-Ukrainian Breakfast Debate, key challenges in the areas of security and EU rapprochement were discussed.

How can German aid to Ukraine become more sustainable? How is it perceived in both countries? What role does communication play? We discussed these and other questions at the first German-Ukrainian Breakfast Debate in Berlin.

At a digital event in early December, the ConnectBY team presented the scientific study on the Belarusian diaspora in Germany and Ukraine and discussed it with representatives of the Belarusian diaspora, academia and politics.

How can Ukraine's progress in such key areas as rule of law and decentralisation be secured during the war and for the time after? At the Ukraine Breakfast Debate, we discussed this challenge and the role of civil society in it.

The full-scale Russian war of aggression has realigned German-Ukrainian relations. From a partner in the fields of energy and decentralisation, Germany became an ally in security and defence – areas in which critical questions arise.

Since mid-November, ConnectBY has been supporting eight projects by members of the Belarusian diaspora in Germany and Ukraine. In two workshops, participants learned more about writing project proposals and about digital security.

Fake news and manipulation of public opionon are a serious threat to democracy. The reforMD Local Disinfo Labs aim to strengthen the resilience of Moldovan society against disinformation campaigns.

The workshop phase of the project supports Belarusian activists and researchers to further develop their initiatives and ideas. At the same time, participants contribute to the final publication of the project. Deadline is on Wednesday, 02 November 2022.

In October 2022, the first events of the ConnectBY project took place. In two informative and interactive networking labs, members of the Belarusian diaspora community received information on funding opportunities and had time for informal exchange.

How has the work of Ukrainian think tankers changed since the Russian invasion on 24 February 2022? What challenges do they face and how can the international community support them? Representatives of three think tanks discussed.

The German discourse on Ukraine has diversified since 2014. Nevertheless, there are still gaps in knowledge about the other country on both sides that need to be closed in the future.

A small revolution has taken place in Ukrainian agriculture in 2021: The new land reform makes it possible to trade land that had been under lock and key for two decades. A study shows first findings on the effects on the land market.

What about Ukraine's relations with the European Union? Experts discussed Germany's expectations of Ukraine's rapprochement with the EU. The focus was on the Berlin perspective.

Exploratory talks are taking place in Berlin and soon a coalition will be formed. Experts from both countries discussed how a new federal government will change German-Ukrainian relations.

From Civic activism in Kazakhstan during Covid-19, to the impact of the pandemic on gender-based violence in Uzbekisten and Kyrgyzstan and digital activism in Turkmenistan: These are the topics of the Eurasia Lab research teams from September to December 2021.

The Crimea Platform: A new initiative to reintegrate Crimea

Experts from Germany and Ukraine exchanged views on the future shape of bilateral relations and mutual expectations. The topics discussed ranged from energy security to commemorative culture.

The local elections in autumn 2020 represented a milestone in Ukraine's reform process. The breakfast discussion focused on trends and peculiarities of the electoral process, the strategies of the individual parties and the influence of COVID-19.