Friends of Eastern Partnership (FoEP)

What do social democracy and progressivism mean in the Eastern Partnership region? This year’s edition of Friends of Eastern Partnership (FoEP) provided a space for in-depth discussions on strengthening progressive cooperation, developing local strategies and fostering regional networking across the Eastern Partnership.

This edition brought together a selected group of participants nominated by progressive organisations from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. Participants explored key topics such as defining progress in the region, mapping the political landscape, translating core values like democracy, equality and solidarity into practice and identifying the strategic and electoral positioning of centre-left forces.

The training was divided into three online workshops and a regional conference in Warsaw, combining facilitated discussions, keynote interventions, and practical training sessions, alongside exchanges of best practices among participating organisations.

The regional conference took place ahead of the 2026 YES Summer Camp, where participants had the opportunity to further engage with progressive youth from across the EU and beyond, including the panel discussion “A gender perspective on the Eastern Partnership”, which featured several FoEP participants.

The Friends of Eastern Partnership (FoEP) is a FEPS initiative, organised in cooperation with Foundation Max van der Stoel, Olof Palmes Internationella Center and Amicus Europae. The main objective of this initiative is to strengthen a regional network of progressive actors and develop a shared roadmap for future cooperation and follow-up activities within the region.

For more information regarding this event, please do not hesitate to contact Iris Vijverberg, FEPS Project Officer (iris.vijverberg@feps-europe.eu).