EU to develop cooperation with Eastern Partnership member countries

PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Commission will issue the draft communiqué on Eastern Partnership next week, head of delegation of the European Commission to Armenia said.



"The project offers more favorable conditions for EU cooperation with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine," Mr. Raul de Luzenberger said during 'European Union and South Caucasus - A Security Partnership?' international conference in Yerevan today.



The document is similar to the ENP proposals but the Eastern Partnership envisages more active cooperation, according to him.



"It supposes creation of a free trade zone and a simplified visa system. Besides, the level of political dialogue will be considerably raised," Mr. de Luzenberger said.



The European Commission is to propose pulling the EU's six post-Soviet neighbors closer to the West by recognizing their "European aspirations" and creating a new "European Economic Area."



The new EU policy - first floated by Poland and Sweden in May - proposes signing "Association Agreements" with Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in the next few years and to "acknowledge the European identity and aspirations of these countries."



The draft communique underlines that the new pacts, which recall the association treaties signed with Poland or Lithuania prior to the 2004 round of enlargement, do not amount to a promise of future accession. "The conclusion of Association Agreements will be without prejudice to the partners' European aspirations."



The draft communique proposes holding an "Eastern Partnership Summit" in June 2009 to launch the project. Follow-up meetings of EU and Eastern Partnership foreign ministers are to take place each Spring. "Senior officials" from the "27 + 5 (6)" countries are to meet twice-yearly to prepare for the ministerials.



The European Partnership is to raise the EU's per capita spending in the region from the current 6 euro per head to 12 euro per head by 2013 and 20 euro per head by 2020, compared to the current 30 euro per head in the Balkans. The shift will cost 2.1 billion euro, atop the lost income of 75 million euro per year as a result of waiving EU visa costs.