On Monday 14 November, EU Foreign Ministers highlighted the importance of continuing the reforms undertaken in Eastern Partnership countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine).
Therefore, in the conclusions they adopted, ministers formally took note of the reforms already accomplished but underlined, “the importance of a continued commitment to pursue the reform process, notably in the judiciary, the fight against corruption and public administration”. They also added that “Implementation of reforms is key for the continued success of the Eastern Partnership”.
A year and a half after the Riga Summit and a year before the summit in Brussels planned for November 2017, Ministers discussed EU relations with Eastern Partnership countries. In their conclusions, they highlighted the importance of enhancing the Partnership’s economic and trade dimension, as well as energy interconnection and transport. Ministers recalled, the fact that “enhanced mobility of citizens in a secure and well managed environment remains a core objective of the Eastern Partnership” and highlighted, ”the importance of a stronger cooperation between the EU and the Eastern Partnership countries in the field of security, including security sector reform, hybrid threats, border management, fighting cybercrime”. Cooperation as part of Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) is “essential”, they argued, despite countries’ diverging positions towards Russia.
In an effort to prepare the November 2017 summit, ministers sought to encourage the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, as well as the European Commission, in cooperation with member states and partnership countries, “to pursue preparatory work for the Summit, encompassing a range of deliverables, including on the four priority areas of cooperation agreed in Riga”. These four domains include institution building and good governance, mobility and contact between people, market opportunities and interconnections. Finally, ministers indicated that they were going to return to work on preparations for the summit before summer 2017. (Original in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)