Eastern Partnership

29 May 2009

Author: Stephen Douglas

Briefing Note on Eastern Partnership:

Context:  The Eastern Partnership was formally approved by EU Heads of State and Government at the March European Council of 2009.  The Czech Presidency hosted a formal launch at a summit in Prague on May 8 2009.

The Partnership is a framework for multilateral and bilateral cooperation on economic, political and social issues between the EU and 6 countries in Eastern Europe; Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

History of Concept:  The Partnership originates from a joint Swedish-Polish proposal from May 2007.  Both countries have cited an earlier German proposal for an enhanced eastern neighbourhood as the inspiration for the partnership. The Commission published a communiqué on the proposal in December 2008 and the idea has now been approved by two consecutive European Councils.

The Eastern Partnership is a product of demands from within the EU and the Eastern neighbours in question.  The latter countries, most notably Ukraine, have been frustrated by the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) which is viewed by some as a “fudge” on the issue of future membership of the EU.  These countries sense a feeling of “enlargement fatigue” amongst EU Member States and demand more concrete assurances and actions to demonstrate that accession is realistic in the shorter rather than longer term.  Central and Eastern European Member States such as Poland are eager to replicate multilateral regional cooperation initiatives such as the Visegrad Group (Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia) which emerged in Central Europe in the 90’s and gave the countries in question valuable experience in regional economic cooperation in advance of their eventual accession in 2004.  As these countries share many cultural values with their EU neighbours, in a sense, they represent the physical outer limits of the European Union.  Russia’s attempts to maintain influence over these countries and to characterise them in a “Eurasian” sphere is understood to play a part in the EU’s thinking behind the project.

Migration policy and visa facilitation for workers is central to the Partnership and a big motivation for EU Member States such as Sweden with a large migrant worker population from the region.  

What does the Partnership involve: The partnership is a combination of bilateral and multilateral projects/stimuli aimed at elevating political, economic and social standards amongst the 6 countries, in order to bring them towards the standards demanded by the acquis communautaire(EU legal norms).  

On a bilateral basis, association agreements will be offered with the goal of establishing deep and comprehensive Free Trade Areas with each partner country once they have joined the WTO.  On a multilateral basis, the partnership offers scope for the eventual establishment of a European economic community along the lines of the EEA amongst the six.  Visa facilitation agreements will be proposed to allow for the free movement of people.

Four “thematic platforms” will govern multilateral cooperation: democracy/good governance; economic integration and convergence to EU policies; energy security and grass roots level contacts between peoples of the region.  The initial meetings of the four thematic platforms will take place during June 2009.  Meetings will be held at least twice a year at the level of senior officials engaged in the reform work in the relevant policy areas.

In response to demands for concrete actions, the partnership proposes “flagship initiatives” for assistance with: border management; assistance to SME’s; promotion of a regional market for energy and projects such as the Southern Energy Corridor and protection against natural disasters.
    
Relationship to Enlargement/ENP:  Proponents of the partnership are careful to distinguish it from enlargement policy and ENP. Proponents also emphasise the complementarity with other regional initiatives under the ENP such as the Black Sea Synergy and the Union for the Mediterranean.

The Russia question: Third states such as Russia will be eligible for the participation on a case-by-case basis in concrete projects, activities and meetings of thematic platforms, where it contributes to the objectives of particular activities and the general objectives of the Eastern Partners.   

Funding:  The EU has committed €600 million for the period to 2013 and the March council commits the Union to providing further financial support “serving the goals of the Eastern Partnership and taking into consideration progress made by individual partner countries”. Following the Prague Summit in May, the partners acknowledged that further financing will be required and called on other donors i.e. the international financial institutions and the private sector to provide additional financing in support of reforms, the flagship initiatives and projects.  

Moving forward: Meetings of Heads of State or Government of the Eastern Partnership will be held in principle every two years. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs will meet every year. It is intended that these high-level meetings will move and shape the Eastern Partnership further.  

Sources:

IIEA Event on the Eastern Partnership Feb 2008
European Council Conclusions Dec 08 and March 09
Commission Communiqué December 2008
Joint Declaration of the Prague Eastern Partnership Summit
Prague May 2009

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