IDD’s First International Event Abroad: “Policy Workshop on New Policy Objectives of the EU in EaP”

On April 4–5, 2024, the Jean Monnet Center of Excellence in EU Studies at the ADA University’s Institute for Development and Diplomacy, in partnership with academicians from Tbilisi State University and the Georgian Institute of Politics, conducted a policy design workshop at Tbilisi State University entitled “New EU policy objectives toward the EaP: How do these objectives strengthen the resilience of the societies in the EaP region? Perspective from the Eastern Neighborhood on the Future of the EaP”.

The event has brought together practitioners and experts, civil servants, policymakers, policy analysts, scholars, and young researchers from Azerbaijan and Georgia to conduct a structured discussion and share local perspectives on regional cooperation, EU actorness in the region, and its challenges in the South Caucasus in the context of the current political trends and dynamics within the European Union. Also, the upcoming European elections in 2024 and the EU’s enlargement policy were topics of discussion. 

 “Georgia is a strategic partner of Azerbaijan, but the potential for collaboration between Azerbaijan and Georgia in the fields of science, education, and collaborative research initiatives is not fully explored yet, and this event is a proactive and unprecedented initiative of collaboration between Georgian and Azerbaijani higher education institutes and think tanks.” said Ms. Nargiz Ismayilova, Director of Executive Education at the Institute for Development and Diplomacy, during her welcome remarks opening the two-day-long Policy Design Workshop.   

During the opening of the workshop, the participants were addressed by the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Georgia, H.E. Mr. Faig Guliyev, who mentioned the importance of regional cooperation and the deepening of Azerbaijan-Georgia relations for peace and stability in the region. The following roundtable format discussion was entered around the following key issues: to what extent do the new EU policies towards the EaP strengthen the societal resilience of the region?; how do the EaP states, particularly Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine, benefit from the EU’s neighborhood policy and Eastern Partnership format?; what lines of convergence are in Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine concerning relations with the EU?; how resilient are the EaP states towards the growing threat of foreign information manipulation and interference? What can the European Union, on the one hand, and the Eastern Partnership countries, on the other hand, do to increase the societal resilience of the Eastern Partnership countries? The discussion has been led and moderated by Dr. Kornely Kakachia, Professor of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University and Jean Monnet Chair.  

 The second day of the event continued with expert presentations and discussions on a range of topics, including Georgia’s EU integration path, recent developments in EU-Azerbaijan relations, the role of the EU in building national and societal resilience across the EaP, the EU enlargement process, and its impact on the EaP region. 

 The workshop will be followed by a policy brief that will put forward proposals for changes and adjustments regarding the EaP policy from the perspective of Georgia and Azerbaijan.  

The Jean Monnet Center of Excellence in EU Studies at the Institute for Development and Diplomacy at ADA University is the only platform/hub of knowledge, research, teaching, and policy analysis specialized on European Union policy towards the EaP based in Baku, Azerbaijan. We aim to connect local perspectives on regional politics and geopolitics with those around the world through policy advice, research, and debate. Discussion and analysis on local, regional, and European policy issues that reach beyond national borders are among the tools we utilize to make a difference. 

 This event was conducted with financial support from the European Commission within the Jean Monnet Center of Excellence “Working towards resilient societies in the EaP: challenges and opportunities for policy beyond 2020” project (Project number: 101085083). The project brings together partners from three EaP countries: Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Ukraine, with the aim of producing research and policy outputs capturing the EU's role in the political processes of the EaP region.