NEWS

EU assesses reforms in the Neighbourhood

15-05-2012

 

Foreign Policy chief Catherine Asthon and Neighbourhood Policy Commissioner Štefan Füle appeared satisfied with the first year of implementation of the EU’s “more for more” policy in the Southern and Eastern Neighbourhood, that pledged greater and broader support to committed reformers.
The EU officials were speaking after a presentation of a European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) package in Brussels today, which assesses the new approach implemented in what is described as “a fast changing situation”.
 “Last year, we relaunched our Neighbourhood Policy to reflect the historic changes going on around us. We now see the first results of this review, which sought to intensify assistance to those who went further in democratic and economic reforms,” the High Representative said, adding: “We have seen great progress in some countries. In others, we need to encourage the political leadership to take bold steps down the path to reform.”
Ashton said: “I have always said that we will be judged on our work with our immediate neighbours, and I am convinced that we are moving in the right direction. We will continue to help our partners in their efforts to embed fundamental values and reinforce the economic reforms which are necessary to create what I call ‘deep democracy”.
On his part, Štefan Füle noted that “while we should not indulge in self-congratulation and we should always make a reality check about the effectiveness of our policy, we have set the new policy on solid grounds and have developed many initiatives that I am confident are already bearing fruit”.
 
The documents
The Package, according to a Commission press release, consists of a Joint Communication on “Delivering on a new ENP” making an assessment of the first year of implementation of the new ENP adopted in 2011, a Roadmap to the 2013 Eastern Partnership Summit, a report on “Partnership for Democracy and Shared Prosperity” concerning Southern Mediterranean including a roadmap. It also comprises twelve Country Progress Reports assessing the implementation of the ENP in 2011 in the countries with which an ENP Action Plan or an equivalent document has been agreed, as well as a Statistical Annex.
 
The Joint Communication
 
The EU press release highlights the results of the new policy, as spelled out in the Joint Communication:
  • The EU re-oriented assistance programmes and made €1 billion more available in 2011-2013 to be channeled through SPRING for the Southern Neighbourhood and EaPIC for the Eastern Neighbourhood. It increased the lending ceilings of the European Investment Bank by EUR 1.15 billion, and successfully proposed the extension of the mandate of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to the southern neighbours.
  • Applying the reform-rewarding logic of “more for more”, the EU has supported those partners embarking on political reforms. In Tunisia the EU has doubled its financial assistance from €80 million to €160 million in 2011. The EU has also been quick to curtail relations with countries grossly violating human rights, and impose wide ranging sanctions against those regimes, instead channeling its support towards civil society and affected populations.
  • The resumption of official 5+2 talks on the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict in the Republic of Moldova was been accompanied by intensified co-operation with the Government of Moldova, the launch of large-scale EU confidence building measures and a step-by-step review of EU sanctions against Transnistria.
  • A Civil Society Facility covering all ENP countries was launched in September with an initial budget of EUR 26 million for 2011 and similar additional amounts planned for 2012 and 2013.
 
Country memos: progress achieved
 
The EU also released the following memos with a summary of the state of play in the neighbouring countries and progress achieved in relations:
 
Neighbours south:
 
Algeria memo, Egypt memo, Israel memo, Jordan memo, Lebanon memo, Libya memo,
 
Morocco memo (FR), Occupied Palestinian Territory memo, Syria memo, Tunisia memo(FR) 
 
Neighbours east:
 
Armenia memo, Azerbaijan memo, Belarus memo, Georgia memo, Moldova memo,
 
Ukraine memo
(EU Neighbourhood Info)
 
 
Read more
 
EU press release
 
Joint communication
 
Eastern Partnership: A Roadmap to 2013 summit
 
Eastern Partnership Roadmap 2012-13: the multilateral dimension
 
Eastern Partnership Roadmap 2012-13: the bilateral dimension
 
Statistical annex
 
Implementation of the ENP in 2011 – Regional Report: Eastern Partnership 
Partnership for Democracy and Shared Prosperity: Report on activities in 2011 and Roadmap for future action 
ENP website with all documents

 


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