European University at St' Petersburg

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European University at St. Petersburg
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About EUSP

• The European University at St. Petersburg (EUSP),
  private graduate college, MA and PhD in social
  sciences and humanities
• Set up in 1994-95 with aid from the Mayor
  Anatolii Sobchak. Major donors US foundations.
• About 35 professors 150 Russian and
  international students. Over 500 graduates 104
  defended PhDs
• Number 87 in Top 100 European Political Science
  Departments (the only one from Russia)
• Second in Russia to have registered an endowment

European University at St. Petersburg
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The crisis in brief

• January 18 Inspection by the Federal Fire
  Safety Service
• January 21 Inspection by the Federal
  Registration Service
• February 4 Spring semester starts
• February 6 Fire Safety Service submits report
  containing 52 violations to the Central district
  court
• February 7 The Court orders EUSP closed for 90
  days
• February 8 Court bailiffs seal lecture rooms.
  Classes suspended
• February 11-15 EUSP improves fire safety,
  appeals to the court
• February 18 The court confirms its previous
  decision EUSP remains shut
• February 26 The City Government Committee for
  Higher Education suspends EUSP license
• March 17 The Governor of St. Petersburg calls
  EUSP Rector to assure that the problem will be
  resolved soon
• March 20 the Federal Registration Service
  reports no violations
• March 21 The Court reopens EUSP the license
  returned bailiffs unseal the lecture rooms.
• EUSP was closed for 42 days (February 8 March
  21)

European University at St. Petersburg
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What drew attention of state authorities to EUSP

• Spring 2007
• The European Union 683,000 Euro grant to set up
  an Inter-regional Electoral Network of Assistance
  (IRENA) at EUSP
• Project leader Professor Grigorii Golosov
• IRENA project included the training of
  observers, dissemination of legal and expert
  knowledge on elections publication of manuals
  electoral statistics
• http//www.irena.org.ru/

European University at St. Petersburg
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Summer 2007. State authorities spot IRENA at EUSP
and request an inspection by the office of the
Prosecutor General. They suspect EUSP is going to
monitor elections using EU grant
Duma deputy G.Safaraliev EUSP is the case of EU
interference in Russias domestic affairs
Proverka
Prosecutor-General Yurii Tchaika
August 2007
European University at St. Petersburg
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October 26 EU-Russia Summit in Mafra, Portugal.
Putin suggests to set up Russian NGOs to monitor
elections and human rights in Europe in response
to EU monitoring. His aid mentions EUSP and
distorts facts.
Sergey Yastrzhembsky
We got your signal, Sir!
European University at St. Petersburg
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Federal Services instruments of administrative
coercion and extortion

• Champions of corruption (business survey, 2006)
• Militia (43)
• Local administrations (39)
• Fire safety service, Sanitary control service,
  Tax inspection (33)
• Selective application of norms and laws

EUSP being sealed on February 8, 2008
European University at St. Petersburg
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EUSP first reaction to inspections on 18 and 21
January

• Hope for an informal elite settlement
• January 27 Academic Council closes IRENA
  program and notifies the Administration of the
  President
• Public rejection of political relevance of the
  incident
• Members of the EUSP Board attempt to stop the
  attack
• February 7 The court shuts down EUSP and
  repeats its decision on February 18
• From February 18 EUSP starts public campaign

European University at St. Petersburg
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Repertoire of counter actions

• Framing, dissemination and opinion-making (media
  and the Internet)
• Mobilization of the academic community
• Petitions and letters to authorities
• Street actions
• Public events
• Elite negotiations

European University at St. Petersburg
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Framing The press conference and interviews

• Interpretations
• Fire safety is irrelevant
• EUSP attacked because of its independent status
  and international ties
• Someone wants a scandal on the eve of elections
• Raiders want to expropriate the palace
• Administrative abuse must be resisted

Press conference on February 19
European University at St. Petersburg
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Dissemination and opinion-making
http//community.livejournal.com/save_eu/

• Internet
• Blogs
• Internet TV (YouTube)
• Banners
• Popular web sites
• Printed media
• Kommersant
• TV and Radio
• Echo Moskvy
• Local TV Channels
• REN-TV, NTV
• Over 550 publications

http//euspb.blogspot.com/
http//saveeu.blogspot.com/
http//ethnomet.livejournal.com/
European University at St. Petersburg
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The Academic Community in Civic Action

• Immediate response and offers of support
• Mobilization through on-line petitions
• http//www.gopetition.com/petitions/european-unive
  rsity-in-st-petersburg.html (3792 signatures)
• http//www.ruthenia.ru/euspb/ (2298 signatures)
• Letters from professional associations and groups
  (36 letters).
• Open letter to Putin and Medvedev by 28 Members
  of the Academy of Science published in central
  newspapers
• Individual statements by senior scholars

European University at St. Petersburg
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Students collected signatures in Petersburg
cafés. Over 600 were sent to the Governor
The weight of civil society
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Street actions creative resistance
The laying of the fire hose to the monument of
Lomonosov, the founder of the Russian science
European University at St. Petersburg
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Street actions creative resistance
The Street University in action
Folk street theatre show about the closing of EUSP
European University at St. Petersburg
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Fear of street actions the representative of
city authority visits EUSP to calm down students
Alexander Viktorov, the Chairman of the Committee
for Higher Education in a dialogue with EUSP
students and faculty
European University at St. Petersburg
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Public events The week of EUSP in town
Student meeting, press conference and photo
exhibition in a rock club
European University at St. Petersburg
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Public events Play by rules! Football match EUSP
vs. Firemen School (2-3)
European University at St. Petersburg
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Public events Public intellectuals and rock
stars in support of EUSP
European University at St. Petersburg
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Rock and the Academia DDT lead singer Yurii
Shevtchuk adjusts microphone for Boris Firsov,
the Founding Rector of EUSP
European University at St. Petersburg
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Behind the scene
Friday, March 14 President-elect D. Medvedev
receives A. Kudrin to discuss urgent issues of
governance. Medvedevs Office calls EUSP to
request documents

• Kudrin,
• Minister of Finance,
• Member of EUSP Board

M. Piotrovsky, Chairman of EUSP Board
European University at St. Petersburg
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Monday, March 17, First signs of a positive
outcome
In 2-3 days the court will decide in favor of
EUSP !
St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matvienko calls
EUSP Rector Nikolai Vakhtin
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Victory! March 21 The Court reopens EUSP, the
bailiff removes the seals
Bailiff Plitkin removes the seals and gets
carnations from students
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Lessons from the EUSP crisis

• Private colleges, NGOs are vulnerable, foreign
  grants are monitored by the state
• Civil society in Russia matters but exists only
  if mobilized
• Internet and blogs are vital for coordinating
  sustained civic action
• Mass media coverage adds value and scale
• EUSP case became symbolic for Russian and
  international civic community, a hope for policy
  change
• State authorities are sensitive, but high-ranking
  patronage is important for delivering the message

European University at St. Petersburg
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EUSP victory helped launch institutional change

• Dmitrii Medvedev The suggestion is to deny
  controlling services entry to small and medium
  business enterprises and to allow them in only in
  case there is a special act of Procuracy or
  court
• New fire safety regulations are being designed.
  Sergei Shoigu, Minister of Emergency Situations
  Now there are 120 thousand compulsory fire
  safety regulations. The new law will reduce this
  number to 1200 a 100 times less. We are going
  to introduce independent fire safety audit. Well
  create a supervision body with participation of
  the business community so that the state should
  withdraw from this sphere.

European University at St. Petersburg