Brussels, 28/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - Speaking at a public hearing organised in Brussels on 22 February on the role of the EU in South Caucasus, Elmar Brok (CDU), Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, said the importance of the South Caucasus region continues to grow especially since the May 2004 enlargement, and that its importance will be even greater after accession by Romania and Bulgaria. “The gas crisis (between Russia and Ukraine in January) and the energy supply issue makes this region very special for the EU, with great strategic importance”, he pointed out.
Since 2004, three countries of the South Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan) have been included in the Union's neighbourhood policy. Negotiations on the respective action plans - the main tools for this policy - have not yet been completed but the EU is seeking to contribute to the stability of the region and to calming the conflicts there, two essential factors if these countries are to come closer to the EU. Heikki Talvitie of Finland, the outgoing EU special representative for South Caucasus (to be replaced on 1 March by Swedish national Peter Semneby: see EUROPE 9136), said one should first of all ask how to strengthen the European identity of these countries. The EU supports the efforts being made by the various parties to resolve conflicts - between Georgia and Abkhazia, Georgia and South Ossetia, Armenia and Azerbaijan - but “it is up to the authorities of these countries to assume their responsibilities”, Mr Talvitie stresses. He went on to point out: “It is too early to say what concrete measures the EU can take but, if necessary, we are willing to take part in a great conference and set up a peace-keeping force in the region”. French Green member Marie-Anne Isler Béguin, Chair of the EU-Armenia, EU-Georgia and EU-Azerbaijan delegation, notes that these three conflicts have lasted for twenty years now but that “today, we are forced to take an interest in them as these countries have become our neighbours. It would be irresponsible of us not to. Thanks to the neighbourhood policy, the Commission now has the possibility of being present”.
Kurt Juul, Head of Unit for South Caucasus and Central Asia at the European Commission, considers that the situation in South Caucasus has evolved in a positive way compared to three years ago. At the time, the Commission had to break off its cooperation with Georgia as the safety of its representatives on the spot was at stake. Today, cooperation has resumed, and the EU has a special representative in the region, setting up neighbourhood policy with these States. “A tailor made action plan for each of the three countries. That is the focal point of our practical work on the ground”, Mr Juul stressed, saying: “It is not a question of assistance programmes (…) or of international agreements. It is a commitment taken between the EU and the countries concerned on a whole series of issues”, such as political reform (including the problem of corruption), economic reform, respect of human rights, the question of poverty, etc. “Neighbourhood policy provides an opportunity to deal with problems in a direct and targeted way”, the Commission's representative explains, and “it is also a way for these countries to come closer to our systems and our values”, without going as far as EU membership. After all, Mr Juul notes, “EU neighbourhood policy works well with Moldova and Ukraine, so why should this not be the case with South Caucasus?”