Think tank europe

The Promise of Eastern Partnership
27/07/2009
Author : Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale (ISPI - Italy)
By Thea Kentchadze
 
The European Union’s Eastern Partnership emerged in a changed environment where the EU faced the necessity to upgrade its relations with the neighbouring countries and channel its interactions with them in a more effective and responsive manner. Launching of this initiative demonstrates that notwithstanding the “enlargement fatigue” and the EU’s cautious stance toward raising any membership exectations among the aspiring nations, the EU considers it necessary to restructure its relationships with the neighbours in the way that brings them politically and economically closer.

At the outset of this initiative one could argue that there is a long way to go for EaP to prove its viability and effectiveness. As it stands now, EaP presents an opportunity to beef up EU’s relations with the eastern partner countries, yet, without committing itself to a major strategic shift with an appropriate financial input. On other hand, the partner countries will have to demonstrate their willingness to pursue all needed reforms that will raise the level of their integration with the EU. Based on these constraints, the effectiveness of this initiative in promoting its overall goal of accelerated political association and further economic integration will depend upon the establishment of clear and realistic benchmarks per each country and adherence to the principle of conditionality on the part of EU.

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Saturday, 11 February 2012
Europe's World - AUTUMN 2011 - #19
The Autumn 2011 issue of Europe's World is out!

We feel it's fair to say that few if any publications in the field of international relations and policy debate have grown as fast or widened their scope so remarkably as Europe's World.

Our 100,000 readers worldwide are drawn from politics, government, business, the media, universities and NGOs.
 
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