At their virtual summit on Thursday 18 June, European and Eastern Partnership leaders agreed on five priorities that will guide the Partnership over the next few years.
A Partnership described as “strategic” by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, at the end of the summit, in front of the media. “The Eastern Partnership is and will continue to be a foreign policy priority for the EU”, he emphasised, saying it was “essential for geopolitical reasons”.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stressed the importance of building a “resilient” neighbourhood and detailed the priorities for the future. The leaders want first and foremost a Partnership “focused on the economy that creates decent jobs, better physical connections between our countries, and better opportunities, particularly for young people”, she explained, recalling the increase in trade between the EU and its partners, but also between the same partners. Collectively, the six partner countries represent the EU’s tenth largest trading partner and the Union is the largest trading partner for Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, and the second largest for Armenia and Belarus.
The Partnership must also be “empowering”, according to Mrs von der Leyen, and will focus on progress in good governance, democratic institutions, human rights, gender equality and the Rule of law.
Asked about the arrest of Belarusian political opponent Viktor Babaryko on the same day, the Commission President recalled that respect for fundamental rights and freedoms was crucial. “All arbitrarily detained activists must be released immediately and the Rule of law must be respected”, she said, stressing that the 9 August presidential election must be competitive.
Leaders also intend to make the Partnership a sustainable partnership, with climate resilience, linked to the EU Green Deal, and a “partnership that connects” through digital transformation. “The EU will work with its Eastern neighbours to modernise technologies, to extend the benefits of the Digital Single Market, and to provide high quality infrastructure and services to people across the region”, promised Mrs von der Leyen.
Finally, the Commission will continue to deliver tangible results, which it believes will really benefit citizens.
These priorities should be reflected in a joint declaration to be adopted at the - physical - Eastern Partnership summit announced by the President of the European Council for March 2021 in Brussels.
However, although these priorities should bring partners closer to the EU and strengthen the relationship, their accession to the EU remains hypothetical. Mrs von der Leyen and Mr Michel recalled that first of all the Association Agreements with Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova had to be fully implemented. “These agreements have enormous potential. They represent 70% of the Community acquis”, Mr Michel pointed out. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)