The main goal of the Eastern Partnership is to create the conditions to accelerate political association and deepen economic integration between the EU and the Eastern European partner countries: the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. Last year, the European Commission initiated a project, more precisely a roadmap aimed at providing guidelines on the activity carried out in view of the next reunion of the members of the Eastern Partnership due to take place in autumn 2013.
T he Roadmap will be accompanied by additional funding under the “more for more” principle. A new programme called EaPIC (the Eastern Partnership Integration and Cooperation) is being set up, with an indicative allocation of EUR 130 Million for 2012-13. This is in addition to the 2010-13 EU commitment to the Eastern European partners worth EUR 1.9 Billion.
The EU has signed protocols with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, which provide the legal basis for their participation in the EU programmes that are open to European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) partners. The Republic of Moldova has been associated to the 7th EU Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development since January 2012.
The EU promises to facilitate partner countries’ participation in the work of EU agencies and the EU programmes which are open to them on the basis of the relevant Communication of the Commission. By the end of 2013, protocols allowing further Eastern Partnership countries to participate in EU programmes will have been negotiated based on mutual agreement.
While transport sector reforms covering all transport modes have been started, they are far from complete. Most countries are gradually aligning with EU transport standards. A high level of transport safety, security and social standards is crucial for closer integration of the partner countries in the EU’s transport system.
The potential of rail transport could be further exploited through higher interoperability with the EU’s rail systems. The smooth travel of people and flow of goods between the EU and partner countries is challenged by bottlenecks in infrastructure. The EU and partner countries are cooperating on infrastructure planning to ensure connections between transport networks. Transport sector reforms should have ensured greater approximation to EU transport standards. The partner countries should be able to demonstrate improved track records in road safety, as well as concrete steps in improving rail interoperability with the EU. Transport links with the EU should have improved through better planning of networks and work on priority infrastructure projects that help to connect the partner countries with the Trans-European transport network.
The EU has launched a range of flagship initiatives since the creation of the Eastern Partnership which are regularly discussed within the relevant multilateral Platform. An assessment of them will be conducted during 2012-13 and the EU will reflect on possible new flagship initiatives in the run up to the next Eastern Partnership Summit, in the framework of programming for the 2014-2020 programming period to be implemented from 2014.
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