The European Neighbourhood Policy

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The European Neighbourhood Policy

• OECD/BSEC Regional Forum on Private Sector
  Development in the Black Sea Region,
  Thessaloniki 24-25 February 2005
• Andreas Herdina European Commission

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Enlargement is changing the European political
geography

• EUs 5th Enlargement (2004 / 2007) - EU-25
  (EU-27)
• 450 Mio citizens (new borders)
• New opportunities new challenges
• The enlarged EU needs to intensify relations with
  its neighbours East South

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The map of Europe- a set of policies -

• EFTA / EEA
• Candidate Countries
• Western Balkans
• Neighbours

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What is the ENP?

• A specific policy for the neighbours of the
  enlarged EU, defined by proximity
• but not countries with an accession perspective
  (Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Croatia )
• Draft Constitutional Treaty (Part I, Title VIII
  The Union and its neighbours)

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ENP partners

• Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus
• Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan
• Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestinian Authority,
  Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco
• Strategic partnership with the Russian Federation

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The EU and its partners
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Russian Federation

• Strategic partnership 4 common spaces
• economic (inc. environment and energy) - promote
  integration via market opening, regulatory
  convergence, trade facilitation, infrastructure
• freedom, security and justice JHA, human rights
  and fundamental freedoms
• external security - partnership on security
  issues and crisis management
• research and education (inc. cultural) -
  capitalise on strong intellectual and cultural
  heritage
• Work on common spaces draws on elements of ENP
  that are of common interest to the EU and Russia

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Designing the ENP
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Content of the policy

• A joint agenda to manage our common space (EU
  neighbourhood)
• Promote good governance and reform
• Progressive economic integration deepening
  political co-operation
• Based on specific values and common interests
• Assistance re-oriented to support reforms

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Common values interests

• Democracy, human rights, rule of law market
  economy sustainable development
• Stability, security, prosperity joint response
  to common challenges (border management,
  prosperity gaps, crime, environment, health,
  terrorism, etc.)

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Principles

• ENP is not about enlargement - a distinct policy
• ENP opens doors and aims to avoid new dividing
  lines
• Differentiation
• Partnership joint ownership (result of
  consultations)

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Building on current framework

• ENP builds on legal and institutional accords
  (Association Agreements, Partnership and
  Co-operation Agreements, Barcelona Process, etc.)
• Established instruments (Association and
  Co-operation Councils, Committees,
  sub-Committees) provide mechanisms for promoting
  and monitoring implementation of Action Plans

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Method

• Invigorate existing relations
• Selectively use experience from the enlargement
  process
• Gradual approximation with the acquis

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Added value

• Focused policy approach, bringing all thematic
  policies into bilateral relations, making
  neighbourhood a special category (focus) in
  external relations
• Intensify relations and deeper cooperation
• Encourage reforms, (economic, political,
  institutional)
• Increase financial and technical assistance

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Action plans

• Key operational instruments
• Country-specific, political documents
• Jointly defining agenda on political and economic
  reforms
• Short medium term priorities
• Guidance for assistance programming

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Action plans Main areas

• Political Dialogue and reform
• Economic and social cooperation and development
• Trade related issues, market and regulatory
  reform
• Co-operation in Justice and Home Affairs
• Transport, energy, information society,
  environment, research and development
• People-to-people contacts, civil society,
  education, public health

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Financial support

• Current
• 2000-2006 MEDA 5,3bn, TACIS 3,1bn
• 2004-2006 Neighbourhood Programmes (cross
  border)
• EIB lending (2bn Med, 500mio Eastern Europe)
• Future
• 2007-2013  European Neighbourhood Partnership
  Instrument (ENPI) - policy-driven instrument
  covering (all) assistance to partners with
  simplified approach for cross-border
  co-operation, 13,9bn
• Technical assistance for institutional capacity
  building

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Conclusions

• ENP is an ambitious offer for a new political
  framework for EU relations with neighbouring
  states
• ENP is of mutual, long-term interest
• ENP is an EU priority, also in the next Financial
  Perspective 2007-2013
• EU offers considerable financial and technical
  assistance
• How far can we go? A matter of political will!
  

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Questions an impulse for discussion

• Is the ENP an attractive means to encourage and
  sustain reform?
• ENP a "Community approach" to external
  relations (the institutional angle)?
• Ukraine The ENP as a policy distinct from EU
  enlargement an alternative or a postponed
  accession perspective?
• Questions on the "borders of Europe"? Countries
  of which we know little?
• One common EU neighbourhood (Eastern Europe,
  Southern Caucasus, Southern Mediterranean)
  European v. national neighbourhood? Eastern
  dimension? Black Sea?
• ENP and the Barcelona Process bilateral v.
  multilateral, bilateral lt or gt multilateral,
  mutually reinforcing?

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ENP More information

• Dedicated web site on Europe server under
  Commission Europe in the World
• http//europa.eu.int/comm/world/enp/index_en.htm