Brussels, 06/05/2009 (Agence Europe) - The main objective of the Eastern Partnership to be launched at the Prague Summit on Thursday 7 May (EUROPE 9894) is to “create the necessary conditions to accelerate political association and further economic integration” between the EU and the six beneficiary countries (Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus), it is stipulated in the Joint Declaration to be adopted by the “27+6” leaders during Thursday's summit. The draft text, of which EUROPE was able to procure a copy, was approved on Wednesday 6 May by Coreper. On the other hand, the Eastern Partnership in no way prejudges the future of bilateral relations with these countries, the text reads. Although it aims to facilitate “approximation” of the EU's eastern neighbours, the Eastern Partnership is not an enlargement policy and will therefore develop independently of the sometimes very ambitious “European aspirations” that some of the six countries, like Ukraine and Georgia, have, aspiring to EU membership one day. The Joint Declaration also underlines the fact that the new policy will be applied in a differentiated manner (on a case by case basis, according to the state of preparedness of each of the six beneficiary countries) and on the basis of strict conditionality (respect of political criteria in particular). Thus, association agreements will only be negotiated with countries that are “willing and able to comply with the resulting commitments”. These association agreements will also provide for the possibility of negotiating bilateral free trade areas which could one day be transformed into a network covering the whole of the eastern neighbourhood. With regard to visas, the Eastern Partnership provides for visa facilitation agreements as well as re-admission agreements to be concluded with all the countries that do not yet have such agreements. The Joint Declaration also mentions that visa liberalisation constitutes a “long term objective” that could be attained by the six individual countries at the end of a gradual process “provided that conditions for well-managed and secure mobility are in place”. The text to be adopted by the “27+6” leaders also underlines the fact that provisions relating to energy supply security and interdependence could be included in the future association agreements. Multilateral cooperation will be launched in June with the first meetings of the four “thematic platforms” (democracy and good governance; economic integration and convergence with sector-specific policies of the EU; energy supply security; and contacts between citizens). It is foreseen that the heads of state and government of the 33 countries will meet once every two years, and foreign ministers once a year. (H.B./transl.jl)