The Council of Europe and the European Union have presented results for their joint projects in the six Eastern Partnership countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. The projects, conducted under the Partnership for Good Governance initiative, were aimed at protecting human rights, promoting democratic governance and rule of law.
The total budget of the Partnership for Good Governance programme was 33.8m euros. The projects have been primarily financed by the European Union, and co-financed and implemented in 2015-2017 by the Council of Europe.
The four projects carried out in Armenia with a budget of 2.4m euros focused on improving electoral processes, combatting ill-treatment and impunity, strengthening healthcare and human rights protection in prisons, supporting judicial reform as well as fighting corruption in higher education.
In Azerbaijan, the total budget of the four projects was 4.9m euros. They focused on improving media freedom and freedom of expression, strengthening capacities to fight and prevent corruption in the administration, increasing the role and capacity of the Academy of Justice, training judges as well as improving the efficiency and quality of judicial services.
The five projects in Georgia, with a total budget of 3.7m euros, have assisted with the application of the European Convention on Human Rights; civic integration of national minorities; strengthening the Georgian Bar Association; improving healthcare in prisons; countering money laundering; promoting freedom, professionalism and pluralism of the media; protecting internet freedom; as well as ensuring free and fair elections.
There were four projects in the Republic of Moldova, with a total budget of 2.4m euros. They focused on improving electoral processes, combatting and preventing discrimination, strengthening respect for human rights in the digital agenda, as well as strengthening the judiciary and supporting the Moldovan Bar Association.
The five projects in Ukraine, with a total budget of 3.2m euros, focused on strengthening human rights standards, penitentiary reform, freedom of media, fighting corruption, and supporting free and fair elections.
The three projects carried out in in Belarus, with a total budget of 700,000 euros, focused on promoting the standards of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in Belarus, as well as on promoting human rights, good governance and fighting corruption.
In addition to country-specific projects, all six Eastern European Partnership countries have participated in 14 regional initiatives.