EU Accession Monitoring Reports Published: OSI Press Release and a List of National Follow-up Events in Candidate Countries

Reply-To: [email protected]
Sender: [email protected]
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2001 13:55:27 +0300 (EEST)
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: EU Accession Monitoring Reports Published: OSI Press Release and a List of National Follow-up Events in Candidate Countries

From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>

Original sender: EU Accession <[email protected]>

EU Accession Monitoring Reports Published: OSI Press Release and a
List of National Follow-up Events in Candidate Countries


OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE
EU Accession Monitoring Program
1051-H, Budapest, Október 6,u. 12, Hungary
Tel:+36-1-327 3100, Fax:+36-1-327 3101
__________________________________________________________________________

PRESS RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

[email protected]
[email protected]


SOROS CALLS ON EU TO HIGHLIGHT IMPORTANCE OF CORE DEMOCRATIC VALUES IN
AFTERMATH OF SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACKS

Brussels, 11 Oct. - European Union leaders meeting on October 19 in
Ghent should underscore the importance of the political dimension of
EU enlargement, the Open Society Institute urged today. The EU needs
to develop clearer membership standards, apply them universally, and
monitor compliance in both member and candidate States, said OSI,
which today released monitoring reports on ten candidate countries
from Central and Eastern Europe. 

George Soros, financier and OSI's chairman, said: "The tragic events
of September 11 recall the enduring importance of open society values
as core components of Europe's evolving political architecture. The
international community must take action in response to those events,
but we must not forget what we are defending. Respect for human rights
and the rule of law are common European values that both candidate and
member states have to satisfy."   

The Reports - researched and written primarily by independent monitors
from each of the candidate states - say that over the past decade
there have been significant improvements in many candidate countries
in the consolidation of the rule of law and the protection of
fundamental rights. But the full potential of the accession process to
galvanize positive change has not been fully developed. The EU and its
principal partners in the accession process - candidate governments
and civil society - can capitalise on the progress to date in the
following ways: 

1. The EU should define in detail the standards used to measure
candidate country performance, and should make clear that the same
standards apply - and will be monitored - in both member and candidate
states. 

2. EU member states should lead by example, by renewing their
commitment to the common values embodied by the Copenhagen criteria,
and by taking action where necessary to ensure more consistent
application of international norms in their domestic practice.  

3. Despite substantial political will among candidate states to join
the European Union, political leaders in candidate states have not
consistently demonstrated the same determination or committed the
financial resources necessary to guarantee results. Candidate
governments should translate the manifest will for accession into an
equally firm commitment to develop and apply effective policies. 

4. At present, accession is a matter largely for discussion among
governments. Both the EU and candidate governments should seek to
afford civil society organisations meaningful opportunities to
participate in policy development, implementation, and evaluation. 


Minority Protection

The reports on minority protection, with a foreword by Martti
Ahtisaari, former President of Finland, follow the EU in focusing on
the situation of the Russian-speaking minority in Estonia and Latvia
and on the condition of the Roma in eight other countries. They find
that candidate states have undertaken significant efforts to comply
with the Copenhagen criteria's minority protection component by
acceding to key international conventions, modifying laws and adopting
minority policies. And yet, a number of concerns persist:

· No country in the region has yet adopted anti-discrimination
legislation in full compliance with the European Union's Racial
Equality Directive, a comprehensive prohibition against racial or
ethnic discrimination enacted in mid-2000.
· Public declarations by senior officials underlining the importance
of combating racism and discrimination remain rare. And in some cases,
political leaders continue to voice, rather than condemn, racist
viewpoints. 
· Pervasive prejudice contributes to racially-motivated violence
against Roma and to a broad range of more subtle, but equally
pernicious, discriminatory practices. 
· Romani children in several countries suffer de facto segregation in
education. 
· In Estonia and Latvia, despite the abolition of legislative
restrictions, most members of the Russian-speaking minority still lack
citizenship. 
· Also in Estonia and Latvia, unequal access to political and
decision-making processes over the past decade, at national and,
particularly in Latvia, local levels, has contributed to the
development of legislation and policies that restrict the rights and
opportunities of Russian speakers (including citizens) in the fields
of minority education, language use, and the labour market.

The Reports recommend that the EU: 
· Require full and effective transposition of the Racial Equality
Directive into national law prior to accession; and 
· Provide financial and technical assistance for the training of
public officials, minority group advocates, lawyers and others in the
drafting and application of minority protection legislation. 

They urge candidate state governments to: 
· Provide leadership by senior officials and broad public education in
underlining the unacceptability of racism and discrimination;
· Adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation and legislation
which incorporates applicable minority rights standards; 
· Establish official bodies capable of effectively enforcing minority
protection laws; and;
· Create mechanisms for documenting patterns of discrimination,
minority rights violations and racially-motivated violence.


Judicial Independence

The reports on judicial independence, with a foreword by Stephan
Trechsel, former president of the European Commission of Human Rights,
conclude that, in many countries, significant progress has been made
towards the goal of a truly independent judiciary. Thus,
constitutional and legislative guarantees of the judiciary's
independence are in place, novel institutional arrangements to
increase courts' autonomy have been developed, and the status of the
judiciary has been considerably enhanced through improvements in
salary and expansion of its sphere of competence. 

At the same time, three broad problems continue to impair the
development of fully independent judiciaries across the accession
region. These are:
· A weak commitment to a culture based on the rule of law; 
· Insufficient institutional independence; and 
· Undue executive interference in the administration of the judiciary. 

The reports recommend that, within the proper limits of its authority,
the EU should identify Europe-wide standards for measuring judicial
independence on a continuing basis. These should include the few
required minimums, the few prohibited practices, and the much more
numerous options for achieving judicial independence that comport with
the Union's principles and goals for itself. 

The Reports call on the governments of candidate states to take a
number of actions, including the following:

· Courts should be granted the means to develop their management
expertise in order to counter arguments for executive involvement. 
· Politicians must publicly affirm the importance of an independent
judiciary by enacting legislation supporting it, and refrain from
infringing upon the judiciary's prerogatives. 
· Judges must refute political criticism, not by censuring all
complaints, but by demonstrating that they are prepared to administer
themselves with professionalism and restraint, and to make themselves
accountable to society. 
· Constitutional guarantees should unambiguously identify independence
and separation of powers, and administration of the judiciary should
be conducted by truly independent bodies with constitutional status.
· States should consider creating independent judicial councils to
administer the judiciary. 
· Judges' salaries and working conditions should be competitive with
the professional alternatives available to them; judges should have
the materials necessary for effective adjudication.  
· Clear and detailed protections should be set in place to ensure that
funding is not used to punish judges or to chill independent judicial
decision-making. The judiciary should be given greater input into the
budgeting process for the courts. 


 NOTES TO THE EDITOR

At Copenhagen in 1993, the European Council set forth in broad terms
the political conditions for Union membership, which require that
"...the candidate country has achieved stability of institutions
guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for
and protection of minorities." 

In December 1997, the European Council invited the European Commission
to prepare and submit regular reports monitoring the progress made
towards satisfying the accession criteria. Each year thereafter, the
Commission has published detailed reports on the political, economic
and administrative criteria of membership n each candidate country. 

George Soros' Open Society Institute in 2000 established the European
Union Accession Monitoring Program to contribute to the Commission's
own evaluations; to foster public awareness of the accession process
in general and of the political criteria in particular; and to
underline the importance of independent monitoring as a necessary tool
for the consolidation of a free society both during the accession
process and beyond. 

The Program contracted individuals and institutions from the accession
region to research independent reports on several aspects of the
political criteria of concern throughout the candidate countries:
minority protection, independence of the judiciary, equal
opportunities for women and men, and corruption. Methodologies for
each subject were prepared with the assistance of an international
panel of experts to provide a framework for analysis of legislation,
institutions and practice. 

Two volumes are being released today: judicial independence and
minority rights protection. Each volume contains separate chapters on
Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland,
Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia, as well as a regional overview
describing general trends across the region in each field.

Reports on equal opportunities for women and men and corruption in the
candidate States will be published in 2002.

Reports are available on-line on www.eumap.org. 

Print copies of the reports are available from CEU Press, Nador u. 9,
1051 Budapest, Hungary, or tel. +361-327-3000.

The Open Society Institute-Budapest is a private operating and
grant-making foundation that develops and implements a range of
programs in civil society, culture, education, media, public
administration, public health, and human and women's rights, as well
as social, legal and economic reform. OSI-Budapest is part of the
Soros foundations network, an informal network of organizations
established and supported by investor and philanthropist George Soros,
and active in more than 50 countries worldwide. OSI-Budapest operates
network-wide programs and, together with the New York-based Open
Society Institute, provides support and assistance to Soros
foundations in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union,
Guatemala, Haiti, Mongolia, and Southern and West Africa.


__________________________________________________________________________

2001/10/08
List of National Follow-up Events in Candidate Countries

Note to the Editor:
Please confirm events and request information or interviews through
the national coordinators listed below. Participants for each event
include national experts, government heads, EC delegation teams,
media, NGOs, and leading figures in political science, sociology and
academia.

BULGARIA
8 Nov: Conference on National Minorities and EU Accession, Sofia
Organizers: Open Society Fund Sofia and Bulgarian Helsinki Committee
Contact: 
OSF-Bulgaria: Assya Kavrakova, Head of EU Integration Program
Tel. 359-930-6654, Fax 359-2-951-6348; email [email protected]
Bulgarian Helsinki Committee: [email protected]

CZECH REPUBLIC
26 Oct: Roundtable on EU Accession, Prague, YMCA, 10 a.m.
1 Nov: Roundtable on Independence of Judiciary, Prague, YMCA, 9 a.m.
2 Nov: Roundtable on Minority Protection, Prague, YMCA, 9 a.m.
Organizer: Center for Citizens' Counseling
Contact: 
Andrea Gruber, Center for Citizens' Counseling
Tel. +4202-241-02470 or 241-02467, E-mail [email protected] or
[email protected]

ESTONIA
15 Oct:	Press conference, Status of Judicial Independence, Tallinn,
Open Estonia Foundation
26 Nov: Roundtable on Amendments to Law on Judiciary, Tartu, Law
Academy of Tartu University
Organizer; Open Estonia Foundation
Contact:
Mall Hellam, Executive Director, Open Estonia Foundation
Tel. 372-631-3791; Fax. 372-631-3796; E-mail: [email protected];
Internet: www.oef.org.ee

26 Oct: Parliament Roundtable on Minority Protection 
November: NGO Workshop on Monitoring Minority Rights, Tallinn 
Organizer: Jaan Tõnisson Institute
Contact:
Agu Lauis, Executive Director, Jaan Tõnisson Institute
Tel: 372-626-3160; Fax (372) 6263152; E-mail: [email protected]; Internet:
www.ngonet.ee/jti
 
HUNGARY
16 October: Press Conference, Budapest, Soros Foundation Hungary, 11
am
Organizer: Soros Foundation Hungary
Contact:
Adrienne Mankovits, [email protected], tel. +361-315-0625, fax:
+361-315-0201

Role of Roma in Pre-election Hungary Round table, site and time to be
announced
Organizers: Hungarian Helsinki and Roma Press Center
6-7 Dec: Role of  Human Rights in the EU Accession, International
Conference, Budapest, , Details to be announced
Organizers: European Roma Rights Center and Office of the
Parliamentary Commissioner for the National and Ethnic Minorities of
the Republic of Hungary

LATVIA
19 Oct: Experts' Roundtable on Minority Protection, Riga, Riga
Graduate School of Law, Senate Room, 10:00 - 14:00
Organizer: Baltic Insight
Contact: Boris Koltchanov, Baltic Insight
Tel/fax:+371-7371770, E-mail: [email protected] 
28 Nov: Second Civil Society Forum in Latvia On European Issues
(Minority Rights and Judicial Independence Panels), Riga
Organizer: European Movement - Latvia
Contact: Ainars Dimants, President, European Movement - Latvia
Tel/fax:+371-7326548; E-mail: [email protected] ; Internet:
www.eiropaskustiba.lv 
29 Nov: Conference on Judicial Qualification and Independence, Riga
Organizer: Riga Graduate School of Law (RGSL)
Contact: Ulla Zumente-Steele, Executive Course Director, RGSL
Tel:+371-7039225, Fax:+371-7039224; E-mail: [email protected] ;
Internet: www.rgsl.edu.lv

LITHUANIA 
*News: Draft Law on Judiciary
17 Oct: Parliament meeting chaired by Chairman of Legal Affairs
Committee, Aloyzas Sakalas
17 Oct: Press Conference, Vilnius, Parliament 
18 Oct: Informal Workshop on Draft Law on Courts
Organizer: Legal Affairs Committee and  Open Society Fund-Lithuania 
Contact:
Diana Vilyte, Executive Director, Open Society Fund-Lithuania
Tel. 370-2-661-200; Fax: 370-2-685-512; E-mail: [email protected];
Internet: www.osf.lt

26 Oct: Roundtable on Roma rights
Organizer: Lithuanian Human Rights Association
Contact:
Stasys Kiaušinis, Executive Secretary, Lithuanian Human Rights
Association
Tel.: 370-2-610912; E-mail: [email protected]; Internet:
www.aiva.lt/human_rights

POLAND
Events TBA
Contact: 
Karolina Stawicka, Stefan Batory Foundation, [email protected],
tel. +48-22-536-0200, fax: +48-22-849-3561

ROMANIA
Media Event: Round Table on OSI EU Accession Reports, Bucharest,
November 8 
Organizer: Soros Open Network Romania
Contact: 
Anton Niculescu, Soros Open Network Romania, [email protected],
Tel. +40-1-212-11-01 or 02 or 03, fax: +40-1-212-11-32

SLOVAKIA
Oct 29-Nov 2: Press Conference, followed by Round Table Discussion,
Bratislava, House of journalists Association or OSF Bratislava, 
Nov 5-9: Press Conference, House of journalists Association or OSF
Bratislava
Organizer: OSF Bratislava
Contact: 
Katarina Staronova, [email protected] and Matus Minarik, [email protected],
OSF-Bratislava, tel. +421-2-5441-7890 or +421-2-5441-6913, Fax:
+421-2-5441-8867

SLOVENIA
17 Oct: Press Conference, Ljubljana, EU Centar, , 10:30 am
Organizers: Open Society Institute and Peace Institute
17 Oct: National Minorities and Accession, Roundtable, Ljubljana, EU
Center, 11:30 am
Organizers: Open Society Institute and Peace Institute
Participants: Darja Zavirsek, Berghof Research Center, Alenka Janko
Spreizer, Graduate Scool of Humanities, Neva-Miklavcic Predan,
Helsinki Monitor, Representative of the Ombudsman's office, Christina
Wille, Delegation of the EC, representative of OSI-Budapest, media
representatives

22 Oct: Independence of Judiciary in Slovenia, Round Table, Ljubljana,
EU Centar, 11:00 am
Organizers: Open Society Institute and Peace Institute
Participants: Ales Zalar, Slovenian Association of Judges, a
representative of PIC (Legal Information Center), Jelka Zorn,
Ljubljana Graduate School of Humanities, Christina Wille, Delegation
of the EC, media representatives, representativeof OSI-Budapest
Contact: 
Mojca Pajnik, Peace Institut, [email protected] Tel.
+386-1-234-7720, Fax: +386-1-234-7722


-- 
==============================================================
MINELRES - a forum for discussion on minorities in Central&Eastern
Europe

Submissions: [email protected]  
Subscription/inquiries: [email protected] 
List archive: http://www.riga.lv/minelres/archive.htm
==============================================================