Russian NGOs help keeping dialogue between EU and Russia

Economic and political sanctions aside, the EU is actively involved in Russian regions and the interest in this activity is mutual. While political leadership is wrangling on political level, NGOs and activists are exploring ways to strengthen cooperation in humanitarian sphere.

Examples are numerous. Civic Forum EU — Russia is a network of Russian and European NGOs with diverse interests, created as a result of grassroots efforts, with no dependencies on governments, political parties or business entities. The Forum’s goal is to strengthen cooperation between civic society organisations and promote integration of EU and Russia, based on shared values of pluralistic democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and social justice.

Igor Makarenko, Director of “Grazhdanskoe soglasie” (civic harmony) fund, who is well known in Russia and abroad, at one time served as a coordinator of EU — Russia working group. However, in 2019 the cooperation started slowing down, chiefly because a planned visit to Novosibirsk by a group of European diplomats failed.

Makarenko announced a series of meetings with the governor of The Novosibirsk Region and other officials, but none of them occured. 16 dipolmats vere taken on a short tour around the city and visited a presentation of The Investment Promotion Agency.

As a result, in the EU had to reevaluate their relations with Siberian NGOs and refused to continue cooperation with Makarenko. The last organised event, the EU co-sponsored green documentary festival ECOCUP, went on without “Grazhdanskoe soglasie”, and the event was praised as highly effective, rated favorably by both government and society.

Siberians say that there should be more such events conducted and await new European Union’s projects in Novosibirsk.