Brussels, 31/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle argued on Monday 31 March that each of the components of the European neighbourhood policy (ENP) needed to be constantly under review.
Addressing the European Parliament foreign affairs committee he stated that the EU had not always responded as quickly or as broadly as it should. There is room for improvement, he said. Whether between the eastern neighbourhood and the Mediterranean or within these regions, relations have to be fashioned in a way that allows better adjustment to the constraints of these countries and the countries of the EU, swifter adjustment and more flexibility towards change, he said.
Füle stated that the EU should reflect more deeply on the ultimate objective of the ENP. In the East, this, the EU's strongest instrument of change, had to be used, he said, implying enlargement policy. Neighbourhood policy is a very powerful instrument, he said, that can transform the neighbourhood through enlargement. At the same time, he added, a way has to be found to support the nascent Arab democracies. He suggested that the dialogue with partners over the last few years demonstrated that the prospect of gradual economic integration into the EU market was not attractive and that other dimensions, such as exchanges and interactions between people, have to be taken into consideration.
Füle said that it may prove necessary to put in place a new ENP arrangement or to improve what is already there, within the framework of cooperation among the European External Action Service (EEAS), the institutions and the member states. He pointed out that the member states had to be more closely involved. “We do not have their instruments, capabilities or the same powers. Sometimes the member states agree on a policy, pass it on to the EEAS, with the support of the Commission, and just say 'On you go, implement it', but the interaction has to be much stronger than that”, he argued. The Commission, the EEAS and the member states must adopt common objectives and agree on a common line of action, he stated. (CG)