The Council of Europe and the European Commission have signed a new cooperation agreement to promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law in six Eastern European countries.
The agreement, which is worth €33.8 million and covers the period 2015-2017, will fund joint programmes in countries covered by the EU’s Eastern Partnership programme – namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
It was signed in Brussels on Thursday 18 December by the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, and Director Michael Köhler on behalf of the European Commission.
The agreement forms part of a new strategic framework for cooperation agreed by the Council of Europe and the European Commission in April 2014. The significant increase in funding reflects the positive results which have been achieved through such programs in recent years.
It should be noted that the implementation of the EU grant projects in Azerbaijan has become almost impossible after the adoption of amendments to the law on NGOs. For this reason, civil society in Azerbaijan will not be able to take advantage this project. -02D-
Politics
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Head of the External Relations and Security Service of the EU Josep Borrel rejected the accusations against him and European countries made by the head of Azerbaijan at the COP29 conference the previous day.
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On Thursday, President Ilham Aliyev received the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, who arrived to participate in the COP29 climate conference.
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The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) today issued five rulings on applications from Azerbaijan. The case of "Afgan Mammadov v. Azerbaijan" concerned the complainant's exclusion from the Bar Association. Mammadov was expelled based on a complaint filed by a colleague, which he considered unjust. The ECHR ruled that Mammadov's rights had been violated and ordered Azerbaijan to pay him €5,000 in compensation for moral damage and €1,000 to cover legal costs.
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During the ongoing COP29 climate conference in Baku on November 14, a group of activists staged a protest condemning Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The activists also denounced countries that supply oil and weapons to nations waging aggressive wars. The protest featured placards with slogans such as: "From fossil fuels to peace!", "End war crimes!", "Punish the aggressor!", and "Phase out fossil fuel use to achieve peace!" among others.
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