Eastern Partnership beyond 2020: the challenges ahead

Statement by the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, David McAllister, on the Commission and VP/HR’s Joint Communication on the Eastern Partnership policy beyond 2020.

„I welcome the adoption of the Joint Communication on the Eastern Partnership policy beyond 2020, “Reinforcing Resilience – an Eastern Partnership that delivers for all”.

Over the last ten years, the Eastern Partnership has been a remarkably successful EU initiative. Its transformational power led to political, social, economic and legal changes in most of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries that would have been unthinkable in its absence. Furthermore, it offered a coherent and practical framework for individuals, NGOs and civil society organisations in the countries that decided to pursue a looser relationship with the EU.

In these challenging times, however, we need an upgraded and future-oriented vision for the Eastern Partnership for the next decade that will ensure its achievements are stable and irreversible, while leading to deeper EU-EaP integration.

With that in mind, I commend the communication’s holistic approach and its intention to increase joint ownership, establish a reinforced and ambitious reform agenda, tackle joint challenges together, with the overriding objective of strengthening resilience.

While this is a promising starting point, the Parliament’s forthcoming contribution will undoubtedly provide additional elements and policy recommendations to ensure that the EaP will stay high on the EU’s Agenda in the next decade and will act more effectively as a driver towards improved democratic accountability, better economic governance, more inclusive and sustainable economic development and strengthened citizens’ rights. I hope that the June 2020 Summit will deliver on the expectations of the citizens of both the EU and the EaP countries and mark the start of a new phase, centred on a stronger, more ambitious and mutually beneficial cooperation .