21
ПЕРВАЯ ПЛЕНАРНАЯ СЕССИЯ «ОТНОШЕНИЯ МЕЖДУ ЕС
И УЗБЕКИСТАНОМ: ПОДДЕРЖКА РЕФОРМ И РАЗВИТИЯ»
Report of Head of the Central
Asia Division, European External
Action Service
Boris Iaroshevitch
Dear Minister,
excellencies, colleagues,
I am happy to be here in Tashkent, where
so many positive developments are taking place
now and took place in the past.
The
ambitious
opening
and
reform programme now underway can
make Uzbekistan again a hub for trade,
investment, science and people-to-people
exchanges, like during the time of the ancient
Silk Road.
A hub needs to be open, flexible,
pragmatic and tolerant to succeed. You have
succeeded as a flourishing crossroad in the
past - you can do it again, provided the right
incentives, regulatory framework and tools are
in place.
Other speakers will elaborate on the
economic aspects of the reforms. I will focus on
the role of civil society and on the importance
of good governance. It is one the pillars of the
Uzbekistan Development Strategy and a key
enabler of sustainable economic development
and investment.
People need to feel empowered to
take their future in their own hands. Modern
societies and economies are way too complex
for a traditional command-and-control system
– decisions need to be taken at the lowest
possible level, if only to cope with the multitude
of decisions and actions that need to be taken.
On the other hand, civil society participation
will also contribute to the transparency and
accountability of the reform processes – and
eventually to their sustainability.
This requires educated, responsible
people, a strong civil society and a good
regulatory framework. Educated people take
the right decisions at their level. A strong civil
society can monitor public decisions. It will also
provide the needed support and advice to public
action to make it successful, through the media,
associations, volunteer work, charity, lobbying
etc. The regulatory framework should allow this
richness to flourish and make it as productive
for society as possible.
The state will benefit as well if
the regulatory framework works well,
but as President Mirziyoyev has said,
it’s first and foremost for the people.
This means that the actions of civil society
can sometimes also be inconvenient for
the state. These tensions are productive
if they are well managed through the rule
of law and responsible actors on both sides.
I noted that the Tashkent Airport is
quite close to the city. Let me give you
an example from Brussels, which might
be relevant one day. 3-4 years ago, the
Brussels international airport changed the
overflight routes going over the city and its
periphery. Some 500,000 people who had
enjoyed relative peace and quiet in the
past suddenly had planes flying over their
houses every three minutes. The outcry was
immediate,
but
many
also
doubted
if anything could be changed.
What the Belgian administration
did not expect, happened nevertheless: a
sudden mobilisation of numerous ordinary
citizens affected by the new overflight
pattern, demonstrations, distribution of
flyers, TV and radio discussions, creation
of
neighbourhood
committees,
etc.
Well, to make it short, the Administration
had to suspend the new overflight routes
and to work on a more sustainable
solution that takes better account of the
many, often conflicting interests. The
State Secretary in charge of this file had
to resign. Civil society involvement is indeed
not always a comfortable process but it
ultimately helped defusing a complex
situation for the benefit of all actors. It is an
opportunity not a threat to the authorities.
On a much more dramatic note, Brussels
witnessed exactly 2 years ago deadly terrorist
acts. The following citizen mobilisation has
actually increased the resilience of the society