EU announces new Eastern Partnership development programs

EU announces new Eastern Partnership development programs

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine will benefit from five new EU regional actions to support youth, small and medium-sized enterprises, maritime safety and border management in the Eastern Partnership.

The actions will focus on four priority areas, including good governance, market opportunities, mobility and interconnections.

“Boosting economic development is one of the main priorities of the Eastern Partnership,” said Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy Johannes Hahn, announcing the package. “This new funding will strengthen the resilience of our partners and will support the necessary structural reforms in order to tap into new sources of growth, generating employment. This together with our continued support to social inclusion will bring tangible results to citizens' lives."

The five new regional cooperation projects will cover these priority areas:

The EU4Youth project will develop youth leadership and entrepreneurship through a variety of actions including capacity building, fellowships, support to policy dialogue as well as delivering grants to organisations active in these areas.

The program Integrating SMEs from the EaP countries into domestic and global value chains will help small and medium-size enterprises access new markets and boost economic development.

Maritime safety, security and maritime environmental protection in the Black and Caspian Sea Regions will support partner countries to implement relevant international legislation and improve their performance to protect maritime environment and maritime transport safety.

Introduction of an Automated Intelligent Video-Control System at Road Border Crossing Point Novaya Huta – Novi Yarylovychi at the Belarus-Ukraine Frontier aims to reduce the time needed to carry out customs and border guard controls, and enhance countries’ capacity to prevent and fight cross-border crimes.

The ENI East Global Allocation 2016 will support project cycle management, including the preparation, monitoring and follow-up of programs, as well as activities in the field of information and communication.

The total EUR 37.3 million investment reflects the priorities agreed upon with the Neighborhood East partner countries at the 2015 Riga Summit, as well as the provisions of the reviewed European Neighborhood Policy (ENP). Through the ENP, the EU works with its southern and eastern neighbors to achieve the closest possible political association and the greatest possible degree of economic integration. This goal builds on common interests and on values — democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights, and social cohesion. The ENP is a key part of the European Union's foreign policy.

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