The European Parliament proposes new ways to intensify European Union (EU) relations with Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova in the run-up to the Eastern Partnership Summit on 24 November. A new parliament report is calling to deepen the trio’s collaboration with the EU further and find new ways to support the countries on the EU’s eastern borders.
The parliament said that the report has already been adopted by the foreign affairs committee and will be voted on by all members of parliament during the November plenary session in Strasbourg. “The main focus is on Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, three countries which have recently achieved major progress in cooperation with the EU”, the European Parliament said. One of the recommendation by the committee is the establishment of a trust fund for Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova.
“The trust fund is a development tool for quick and flexible EU response to crisis and post-crisis situations. It would pool resources from public and private donors for investment in projects aimed at improving socioeconomic structures”, the Parliament said. The committee also recommends increased support for economic reforms and upgrading the current partnership as a way of rewarding progress on EU-related reforms by partner countries. This upgrade could provide access to the EU’s customs or energy union, for example.
“The creation of an Eastern Partnership Plus model for associated countries with the possibility of a future membership in the customs, energy and digital union is crucial”, said Laima Andrikiene, Lithuanian member of the European parliament and one of the authors of the report.
These measures add to the structures and projects for cooperation and development in the region already in place by the EU. The proposal emphasises the need to maintain pressure on Russia to resolve the territorial conflicts involving these countries. “This is particularly relevant at the moment as EU sanctions against Russia will be reevaluated in January 2018”, the parliament said.
