Brussels, 16/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European Union presented its progress reports on Tuesday 15 May on 12 of its neighbourhood countries, including Moldova, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, and committed them to taking additional measures so that the European neighbourhood policy action plan 2012 is fully implemented.
While highlighting the progress made, the Commission called on Georgia to ensure free and fair parliamentary elections, enhance its engagement policy towards breakaway regions and reconciliation/conflict resolution, and continue to strengthen freedom of expression and opinion. It must also improve labour rights and, like Armenia and Moldova, continue to advance sectoral reforms and regulatory approximation to the EU acquis in trade and trade-related areas.
Moldova will have to step up efforts to implement justice and law enforcement reform strategies, with a focus on human rights. It must speed up the reform of public administration, the privatisation process, continue with energy sector reform, tighten up competition and state aid legislation, and facilitate social dialogue. The EU also wants to see progress in settling the conflict in Transnistria, and in the visa liberalisation action plan.
Armenia must address the shortcomings in the May 2012 parliamentary elections ahead of the upcoming presidential election scheduled in 2013, ensure finalisation and implementation of the National Human Rights Strategy and Action Plan and the Bill on freedoms of conscience and religion, ensure pluralism in the broadcasting media, and take forward efforts to tackle discrimination. The EU also wants the country to strengthen the implementation of its reform agenda, including measures to reform public administration and the judicial sector.
Azerbaijan needs to make significant progress in human rights, which have been eroded in some areas. The main EU demands are swift implementation of the Human Rights Action Plan, transparency in implementing the laws governing the process of demolitions, expropriations and forced evictions in Baku and the regions, the amendment of laws on elections, freedom of assembly, freedom of association and media freedom, and reform of the judicial system. The management of public finances and the economic and investment climate must also be improved.
Armenia and Azerbaijan must step up their efforts to find agreement on Nagorno Karabakh and provide unconditional access for EU representatives. These two countries, along with Moldova, must make progress in tackling corruption. (CG/transl.rt)