Brussels, 22/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - Poland and Sweden are preparing a joint initiative with a view to strengthening the “eastern dimension” of the European Union. Polish and Swedish foreign ministers, Radoslav Sikorski and Carl Bildt, intend to present a joint proposal to the External Relations Council on Monday 26 May concerning an “eastern partnership” with neighbouring countries to the east. Prime Ministers Donald Tusk and Fredrik Reinfeldt will then seek to have the initiative endorsed by the European Council on 19-20 June.
After the EU's “northern dimension”, which has existed since 1997, and the recent Commission proposals on launching the Union for the Mediterranean (EUROPE 9664), Poland and Sweden take the view that neighbouring countries to the east also deserve special attention. “We would like to see the EU upgrading its contacts with the east at a time when the EU is upgrading relations with the Mediterranean region”, Polish sources stress. Warsaw and Stockholm take direct inspiration from the conclusions of the European Council of December 2007, which called on the next EU Council Presidencies to “develop both the eastern and southern dimensions (of European Neighbourhood Policy, ENP) in bilateral and multilateral formats on the basis of the relevant Commission communications and proposals”.
Polish diplomats explain that the new “eastern partnership” would include all 27 EU member states as well as the five countries of Eastern Europe currently covered by European neighbourhood policy: Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Once the democratic situation has improved in Minsk, Belarus may also join the group. Russia could be invited to take part in specific cooperation projects, for example in Kaliningrad.
The new “eastern partnership” would be managed and financed as part of ENP which would remain in application in its current form. “The intention is not to create new institutions”, or even a secretariat as will be the case for the Union for the Mediterranean, “or to question ENP”, Poland stresses (although it does suggest that a senior European Commission official should be appointed “special coordinator” and that joint meetings should be organised in future). The aim is just to “restore a certain balance” within ENP which, Warsaw believes, today allows more developed regional cooperation with and between the southern countries than is the case for the Eastern European neighbouring countries. “Our initiative mainly aims to provide added value at the level of regional cooperation with and between the countries of Eastern Europe”, for example in the field of trade liberalisation and the visa regime, the environment, education or culture, Poland says. Such enhanced regional cooperation would be in addition to bilateral projects that the European Commission already carries out with each of the ENP beneficiaries on the basis of individual action plans. Although Warsaw would like the EU to give a tangible “European perspective” to Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova (Ed: the current ENP does not provide such a perspective), the “eastern partnership” would not take a stance on this issue. (H.B.)