Is the European Neighbourhood Policy Failing Azerbaijan?

In recent weeks, the crackdown on journalists and activists in Azerbaijan has intensified as the government seeks to prevent echoes of the Arab transitions. Beatings and arrests of activists and journalists, including European reporters, followed a series of pro-democracy demonstrations in the country. In a further attack on pluralism, NGOs have also come under pressure from the authorities, leading to the forced closure of two organizations.

Four years after Azerbaijan signed up to the European Neighbourhood Policy, the political and human rights situation in the country has deteriorated. While the EU has focused on expanding energy links with Azerbaijan, the government has entrenched its authority, limiting freedom of speech through the high-profile persecution of bloggers and journalists, including Eynulla Fatullayev, former editor of the local newspaper Realny Azerbaijan, and sidelining the political opposition by dispersing public rallies. Parliamentary elections in autumn 2010 were assessed by international observers as flawed whilst a corrupt judicial system prevents effective access to justice for those without government connections.

At this roundtable, which coincides with the ENP review, civic experts from Azerbaijan will address both ongoing domestic concerns and the country’s relationship with the EU, tackling questions such as:

• What has been the impact of EU policy in Azerbaijan?
• What role can a revised ENP play in ensuring democratisation in Azerbaijan?
• What steps must the government now take to reverse the negative tide and get the reform process back on track?

Speakers

• Leila Alieva, Rashad Shirinov, and Vugar Gojayev, Members of the Azerbaijan National Committee for European Integration
• Jacqueline Hale, Open Society Foundations (moderator)

Venue

Eurocities
Square Meeûs 1
B-1000 Brussels 1000
Room Trône (1st floor)