Priority countries

Lead Member: MEP Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL

Georgia has been a priority country since 2017. As a result, several capacity-building activities have already been organised with the Parliament of Georgia. They have covered a wide range of topics and have been attended by high-level participants.

Activities have included study visits on parliamentary oversight, research and library capacities, the implementation of a code of ethics, and the legislative cycle.

Several meetings in Brussels and in Georgia have also taken place between the Lead Member and representatives of Georgian civil society with a particular focus on the pressure exerted on civil society by the authorities.

The European Parliament's democracy support activities for Georgia in 2021 are expected to include:

• study visits, conferences, and workshops for members and officials;
• the participation of parliamentary officials in the Democracy Fellowship Programme;
• support for regional initiatives involving Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

Lead Member: MEP Dragoș TUDORACHE

Moldova has been a priority country since 2014. Since then, several capacity building activities have taken place.

Activities have focused on the oversight role of parliaments; the work of committees; the empowerment of women parliamentarians; the management of the transition from one legislature to another; the role of parliaments in promoting human rights; and the implementation of a code of conduct and effective rules of procedure.

The European Parliament has also supported a dialogue on the issue of Gagauz between the parliament in Chisinau and the People's Assembly in Comrat.

The European Parliament's democracy support activities for Moldova in 2021 are expected to include:

• study visits, conferences, workshops for members and officials of Moldova's parliament;
• the participation of parliamentary officials in the Democracy Fellowship Programme;
• the facilitation of the involvement of Moldova's parliament in the implementation of the EU-Moldova Association Agreement.

Lead Member: Michael GAHLER

Following the Revolution of Dignity in 2013-2014, the European Parliament engaged in an unprecedented level of cooperation with the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) of Ukraine in the field of democracy support.

In the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding between the European Parliament's President and the Rada's Speaker, various activities were organised based on a Needs Assessment Mission.

A number of study visits for Ukrainian parliamentarians and/or officials took place, complemented by seminars and training events presided by MEPs and European Parliament officials in Kiev.

The European Parliament has also established an innovative and highly visible mediation process of inter-party dialogue as part of the Jean Monnet Dialogue, which focuses on compromise and consensus building. In addition, Parliament has observed all elections in Ukraine (parliamentary, presidential and local) since 2014.

All these activities have had a noticeable positive impact on the work and organisation of the Verkhovna Rada. The European Parliament remains a staunch supporter of the new political landscape in Ukraine. Although the landscape is still evolving, it is today conducive to the continuation and development of reform.

The European Parliament democracy support activities for Ukraine in 2021 are scheduled to include:

• study visits, conferences, and workshops for members and officials of the Ukraine's parliament;
• capacity building activities, conducted in cooperation with key partners (such as the United Nations Development Programme, the National Democratic Institute and the Crisis Management Initiative);
• the participation of parliamentary officials in the Democracy Fellowship Programme.

Lead Member: Emmanuel MAUREL

Tunisia remains the success story of the 2011 "Arab Spring," the only Middle East/North African country that has preserved its transition towards democracy.

As a priority country since 2015, several capacity-building activities were organised during the past parliamentary term, from the "Tunisian week" as a scene-setting event, to election observation, study visits by parliamentarians and staff, and human rights work on civil liberties and violence against women.

The European Parliament democracy support activities for Tunisia scheduled in 2021 include:

• study visits conferences, and workshops for members and officials of the Parliament;
• the facilitation of cooperation between parliamentary and government authorities with civil society around specific topics;
• the participation of parliamentary officials in the Democracy Fellowship Programme.

The "winner takes it all" principle should be avoided in the Georgian political system

Democracy cannot be reduced to the rule of the majority, which should share power with the opposition in Parliament.

This is one of the key conclusions of the virtual conference on the "Rights and Responsibilities of the Opposition in Parliament", which took place on 14 July and focused on the Georgian parliamentary system.

The event, co-organised by the Democracy Support and Election Co-Ordination Group (DEG) of the European Parliament and the Parliament of Georgia, was chaired by DEG Lead Member for Georgia, Ms Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, and was opened by President Sassoli and by Georgian Parliament Speaker Kuchava.

Mr Sassoli argued that the EU and Georgia have become indispensable partners and reiterated the EP willingness to help the Parliament of Georgia, stating that it has at its disposal the "instruments, know-how and experience of the EP".

Expressing his commitment to democratic parliamentary processes, Mr Kuchava said that he stands ready to ensure more power-sharing in his parliament. He added that two committee chairmanships and one delegation chairmanship shall be assigned to opposition MPs.

The aim of the conference was to launch the debate on the importance of ensuring the rights and responsibilities of the opposition in the Parliament of Georgia.

The participants, who are prominent politicians in the European and Georgian Parliaments, as well as highly regarded academics, discussed therefore in depth EU/EP best practices in power sharing across Europe and how they could be adapted in the Georgian political landscape.

During the debates, several opposition MPs urged the MEPs to ensure that all parties respect the agreement negotiated by President Michel, which among others stipulates that power-sharing arrangements shall take effect upon the convening of the 2021 autumn session.

On their part, MEPs underlined the importance of reforming the Georgian political culture in a way, which considers the opposition as part of a functioning parliamentary democracy. They also asked the opposition MPs to take seriously their obligations, including the mandate they received from their electors to represent them in parliament.