The co-chairs of the Euronest Assembly - Georgian MP Maka Botchorishvili and MEP Andrius Kubilius - called on Tuesday 20 April for reflection on the future of the Eastern Partnership.
“We want to convince the EU to be more open, more ambitious towards the Eastern Partnership countries”, Kubilius said after two days of virtual Euronest meetings.
“We believe that the time has come for the European Union and the Eastern Partnership partners to look ahead, to develop a strategic vision, to define the way forward and to give those who want a closer relationship with the EU the opportunity to do so”, Botchorishvili said. Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine have publicly stated their desire to move closer to the EU. They currently have association agreements and full and deep free trade areas with the EU.
Echoing the reasoning of the CEPS think-tank, according to which there is no difference in the development of the Western Balkan and Eastern Partnership countries, Mr Kubilius wondered why the EU continued to have two different policies. Unlike the Western Balkan countries, the Eastern Partnership countries have not been offered a clearer path to European integration. “That is why discussions have been launched within the European institutions to make this policy more ambitious and clearer in terms of the promises it offers”, he added.
The Euronest Assembly worked on recommendations, which will be forwarded to the Eastern Partnership summit, to be held in the autumn. These recommendations are currently being adopted. This approval could take several days. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)