Brussels, 04/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 3 September, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn announced that the Commission is expected to adopt its joint communication on a revised European neighbourhood policy (ENP) on Wednesday 18 November.
“The revised ENP is foreseen for adoption on 18 November”, he told the annual conference of EU ambassadors in Brussels. He added that he had received 250 contributions to the public consultation launched in March.
According to Hahn, this strategy will focus on the need to stabilise the neighbourhood “more effectively”. “This means placing a greater focus on security issues; but especially recognising that the causes of instability and insecurity often lie outside the 'classic' security domain”, he said. “We must apply the EU toolbox more intelligently to stabilise our East and South”, he added. The strategy will also highlight the need for differentiation between the partner countries and will highlight economic development.
Hahn said that the adoption of the new strategy was “only the beginning”. “There is going to be a real shake-up in our work with some countries. This requires an honest discussion to identify fewer and really shared priorities”, he said. He added that the ENP reporting process would also be much lighter, depending on the ambitions of the partner. “We will develop thematic platforms in areas like security, energy and migration, so we can also work better with the neighbours of our neighbours”, he said. (Camille-Cerise Gessant)