2014 was marked by an expansion of the Civic Chamber’s functions and a stronger role for citizens in the nation’s life. The Civic Chamber ensured public oversight of socially significant government initiatives and developed the institution of "zero readings" for draft laws.
Civil society activists played a particular role in the so-called "Crimean Spring" and the subsequent integration of the new regions—Crimea and Sevastopol—into Russia.
2014 went down in Russia’s history as the year of the Crimean Spring.
The Civic Chamber actively engaged in the process of integrating the peninsula into the Russian Federation.
It should be noted that members of the Civic Chamber participated in the public observation of the referendum held on March 16, 2014. Delegations from the Civic Chamber, civic chambers of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, and public organizations worked at polling stations alongside international observers and State Duma deputies. Public observers monitored the voting process not only in major cities but also in small settlements. Following the referendum, the Civic Chamber formed a monitoring group to assess the adaptation of civil society institutions in Crimea and Sevastopol to the Russian legal system.
Work began on establishing the civic chambers of Crimea and Sevastopol, as well as amending federal legislation to ensure their representation in the new composition of the Civic Chamber. By the end of the year, NPOs began to form in the new constituent entities of the Russian Federation, gaining access to federal grant support.
Employees at a polling station in Sevastopol count votes following the referendum on the status of Crimea. March 16, 2014. Valery Melnikov / RIA Novosti
First Vice President of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation Vladislav Grib and Alexey Chaly (acting Governor of Sevastopol as of April 2014). March 17, 2014. Valery Melnikov / Press Service of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation
The events in Ukraine in 2014 necessitated a consolidation of efforts between society and the state. On March 7, the Civic Chamber called on public associations, charitable foundations, entrepreneurs, and state authorities to pool resources to assist those affected by the crisis.
A Coordinating Headquarters was established on the Civic Chamber’s platform, along with the opening of a hotline and an online portal.
The Headquarters’ work received widespread support, engaging Russian NPOs, state authorities, and civic chambers of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, which opened their own hotlines and coordination centers. According to official data, 40,000 refugees from Ukraine were provided with places in temporary accommodation centers, while significantly more displaced persons were taken in by Russian citizens.
In 2014, Alexander Brechalov—head of "Opora Rossii" and co-chair of the Central Headquarters of the All-Russian People’s Front—became the President of the Civic Chamber. Brechalov actively engaged in the Civic Chamber’s efforts to assist the residents of Donbass from the very first days and, in general, brought a project-based approach to the Civic Chamber’s work.
President of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation Alexander Brechalov at one of the temporary accommodation centers for refugees / Press Service of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation
A landmark event of 2014 was the adoption of Federal Law No. 212-FZ of July 21, 2014, "On the Fundamentals of Public Oversight in the Russian Federation." This regulatory legal act for the first time systematically enshrined the legal mechanisms of public oversight, defining the range of its subjects and the forms of its implementation.
According to the law, the permanent and primary subjects of public oversight are the Civic Chamber, civic chambers of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, civic chambers (councils) of municipalities, as well as public councils under federal executive authorities. To implement oversight, commissions, inspections, groups, and other structures could be established. The law granted civic chambers of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation the right to conduct public expert reviews of draft regulatory acts, thereby significantly expanding the powers of civil society institutions. In essence, it transformed public oversight into a sustainable and recognized instrument for citizen participation in state governance, a platform for dialog and finding compromise solutions on socially significant issues.
Article 2. Legal Basis of Public Oversight
One of the most significant innovations in the Civic Chamber's activities was the establishment of the "zero readings" mechanism. This format of public expert review, as its name suggests, involves discussing draft laws even before their first reading in the State Duma, with the participation of experts, representatives of professional communities, businesses, scholars, and civil activists.
The practice of "zero readings" gained traction in 2014—five such readings were conducted. In his Address to the Federal Assembly, the President of Russia specifically emphasized the importance of this mechanism as a form of genuine dialog between the state and society. Already in 2015, the institution of "zero readings" became fully operational: the Civic Chamber conducted 39 discussions in this format, creating an additional mechanism for influencing the legislative process.
In 2014–2015, the Civic Chamber paid special attention to the development of the nonprofit sector.
Specifically, the Civic Chamber's platform was used to develop proposals for forming an NPO support infrastructure, training staff, and creating new public oversight mechanisms. Some of these initiatives were reflected in regulatory legal acts. Among them were additional support measures for socially oriented NPOs, the creation of a registry of "reliable suppliers" of social services, and the establishment of a specialized grant operator to support social projects in small towns and rural areas. These steps contributed to building a sustainable system of interaction between the state and the third sector, strengthening trust in public organizations as full-fledged partners in addressing social issues.
In October 2014, after years of discussion, Federal Law No. 315 of October 22, 2014, "On Amending the Federal Law 'On Cultural Heritage Sites (Historical and Cultural Monuments) of the Peoples of the Russian Federation' and Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation," was adopted. Its adoption was the result of persistent work by the Civic Chamber, the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Monuments, and other public organizations.
The law introduced mechanisms to ensure the preservation of monuments in any transactions involving them, established procedures for public access to cultural heritage sites, and provided for compensation for conscientious owners investing in restoration.
The Civic Chamber had been advocating for the adoption of this legislative act for over four years, uniting specialists and the public around the issue of cultural heritage protection.
Activists of "Arknadzor" (Architectural Supervision) climbed onto the dome of the Volkonsky House on Vozdvizhenka Street to prevent its demolition, which they deemed illegal.
June 25, 2013. Vladimir Astapkovich / RIA Novosti
Federal Law No. 212-FZ of July 21, 2014, "On the Fundamentals of Public Oversight in the Russian Federation," provided a legal basis for more systematic citizen participation in monitoring social processes. A vivid example of this was the Civic Chamber's monitoring of the labor market demand for professions. Civil society activists identified a mismatch between graduate training and the economy's needs. Over a million young professionals found themselves unemployed, while businesses urgently required skilled personnel. The Civic Chamber organized a series of hearings on the topic "Public Oversight of Higher Education Quality," which brought together representatives of employers, higher education institutions, and state authorities on a single platform. This made it possible to identify solutions to the problem, including adjusting educational programs, forming new professional standards, and encouraging the academic community to engage more closely with the labor market.
Visitors at the 30th Anniversary International "Career" Forum in the "Afimall City" shopping center in Moscow. November 7, 2012. Ruslan Krivobok / RIA Novosti
Experts of the Civic Chamber have repeatedly noted that promoting the Russian language requires supporting the establishment of its study centers in neighboring countries, as well as training local educators in Russian language teaching methodologies.
Within the framework of the Year of Literature, the Civic Chamber, together with the Russian Peace Foundation, launched the "Russian Corner" project. This initiative is aimed at disseminating and preserving the Russian language abroad through multimedia educational aids.
Launched in December 2014, the joint project of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation and the Russian Peace Foundation, "Russian Corner," has reached over 50 educational institutions in more than two dozen countries, including Austria, Azerbaijan, Armenia, the United Kingdom, Georgia, the Dominican Republic, India, Spain, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, Slovakia, the United States, Turkey, Ukraine, France, Croatia, Estonia, and South Korea. As part of the project, multimedia and printed educational materials on the Russian language and other subjects in Russian were delivered to these institutions in 2016.
Students of the Institute of Foreign Languages at Tishreen University in Latakia (Syrian Arab Republic) during a Russian language lesson. November 5, 2014. Dmitry Vinogradov / RIA Novosti
In September 2014, following public discussions at the Civic Chamber, the Government of Russia adopted a resolution obliging tour operators to provide tourists with all necessary documents, including return flight tickets, at least 24 hours before the start of their trip. Additionally, as a result of these discussions, an expert task force was established to oversee the reform of the tourism industry and protect the rights of affected citizens.