Purpose

With the recent regime changes in Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, hopes for the liberty and political reform across the whole Europe have revived. Coming years are very important to these countries in terms of consolidation of democratic change and stability in the region, as well as in terms of promoting their structural integration with the rest of the continent.

The fate of liberty and democracy and prospects of relationship with Europe is even more disturbing in countries that have failed or where people were banned from their fundamental right to implement democratic norms of governance. Situation in Belarus is especially alarming. Democratically, this country stands far from even other Eastern neighbouring countries in political, economic and ideological terms.

Experience of past democratic transitions in the Baltic States and Central Europe demonstrate that freedom, democracy and partnership building processes are best maintained and facilitated if bigger emphasis is given to practical targeted activities. To initiate and support these activities, functional instruments are needed that would be applied in speedy and flexible manner.

The main goal of the Fund would be to foster liberty and democracy in Eastern Europe, by promoting open society and enabling region for a wide politcal, social and economic development.

Objectives

• Promote Freedom and Democracy in Eastern Europe;
• Foster cross-border and trans-European cooperation and understanding;
• Build networks and support democratic processes that will help accelerate the region's Euro-Atlantic integration;
• Generate an income that would be used for support of democratic processes in Eastern Europe;
• Disseminate information on democracy building process in Eastern Europe by maintaining a website;
• Monitor developments in Eastern Europe;
• Implement Development oriented projects that would put grounds for emerging democratic processes in the Eastern Europe.

Activities (Main Programms)

• Freedom and Democracy Development Programme (activities promoting society's involvement in decision-making processes)
• Integration and Cooperation Programme (activities promoting the structural integration of Europe's East and accelerating cross border-cooperation)
• Education and Research Programme (activities promoting social changes)
• Culture Programme (support intellectuals, cultural exchange development)
• Assistance Programme (political, financial and legal support to the victims of non-democratic regimes)
• Free Media Programme (support to free media development)

The Council of the Fund annually estimates and confirms Fund's assets distribution priorities: sets the priority areas, the maximum amount o assets available to single project, the priority countries - beneficiaries.

Beneficiaries

• Nongovernmental organizations, individual persons and their groups from Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia.

Budget

• Allocations of Lithuanian and foreign governmental institutions;
• Allocations of Lithuanian and foreign nongovernmental organizations;
• Support of private donors;
• Grants from different programmes and institutions.

Accountability

Each year the Fund will publish annual reports and will hold conference to assess Fund's activities, monitor developments in Eastern Europe and provide guidance for further work.