The European Parliament Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly has discussed to what degree the European Union should support the differentiation principle within the Eastern Partnership and offer “more for more” to EU-aspiring Associated Trio countries of Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. EaP initiative also includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, and now-suspended Belarus, civil.ge reports.
The delegation – representing the EP in the Euronest Assembly which brings together parliamentary delegations of the EU, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova and Armenia – convened ahead of the Eastern Partnership Summit scheduled in December.
MEP Andrius Kubilius (EPP, Lithuania), chair of the Delegation, opened the November 12 discussions by pointing to an impasse in the EU’s Eastern Partnership (EaP) integration policy. “Motivation for reforms even in Trio countries can start to erode if again there will be no clear big integration goal, looking into next decade,” he argued, adding that challenges remain as several member states oppose a more ambitious Eastern Partnership integration agenda.
Citing the 2020 European Parliament report, which recommended differentiation with the EaP countries, MEP Kubilius advocated for creating a common economic space between the EU and at least the Associated Trio states of the EaP. “This would be this new big intermediate goal, and that can be attractive for both sides,” he asserted.
MEP Kubilius expressed his hopes that the 2021 Summit declaration will include a provision on differentiation with EaP states, recognizing the importance of the Trio format, and another one on economic integration, also introducing a “clear evaluation and monitoring system for their progress.”
