Eastern Partnership

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council Eastern Partnership

The European Union has a vital interest in seeing stability, better governance and economic development at its Eastern borders. At the same time, EU’s partners in Eastern Europe and the Southern Caucasus (which includes such countries as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine) all seek to intensify their relations with the EU. The Union's policy towards them must be proactive and unequivocal: the EU will give strong support to these partners in their efforts to come closer to the EU, and will give all necessary assistance with the reforms this entails, through a specific Eastern dimension within the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP).

The present Communication sets out proposals for an Eastern Partnership. The EaP should bring a lasting political message of EU solidarity, alongside additional, tangible support for their democratic and market-oriented reforms and the consolidation of their statehood and territorial integrity. This serves the stability, security and prosperity of the EU, partners and indeed the entire continent. The Eastern Partnership will be pursued in parallel with the EU’s strategic partnership with Russia.

The ENP has already been successful in forging closer relations between the EU and its neighbours. The EaP should go further. The guiding principle should be to offer the maximum possible, taking into account political and economic realities and the state of reforms of the partner concerned, bringing visible benefits for the citizens of each country. An essential component of the EaP will be a commitment from the EU to accompany more intensively partners' individual reform efforts.

It is important that this partnership should be pursued with the full political engagement of EU Member States. Active parliamentary contacts and exchanges will also play an important role.

The EaP will be based on mutual commitments to the rule of law, good governance, respect for human rights, respect for and protection of minorities, and the principles of the market economy and sustainable development. The level of ambition of the EU’s relationship with the Eastern Partners will take into account the extent to which these values are reflected in national practices and policy implementation.

The partners do not have identical objectives for their relationship with the EU, but they all share a common wish to deepen relations.

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council