Eastern Partnership Foreign Ministers take stock of Partnership progress

The Eastern Partnership (EaP) is strategically important as a way of deepening and strengthening relations between the EU and the Partner countries, said participants of the second Foreign Ministers' meeting within the framework of the Eastern Partnership, held on 13 December in Brussels, the EU said.
 
The meeting, chaired by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton, drew high level participation from the EU, including 27 EU Member States, the EU Council, the European Commission, the six Eastern European Partner countries, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the Committee of the Regions (COR), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
 
There should be a strong link between the ongoing review of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and the further development of the EaP, the Conclusions of the meeting said, adding that Ministers welcomed the strengthening of the EU's bilateral relations with a number of Partners and "noted with satisfaction the progress made in implementing the multilateral track of the Eastern Partnership."
 
The Ministers also expressed the need to advance further in implementing Flagship initiatives and suggested that other financial sources could be found "to complement the EU budget contribution to the EaP."
 
The participants hailed improved coordination between International Financial Institutions and other donors "in trying to achieve a more coherent and holistic approach to the EaP", and invited the Commission "to further explore the potential of the informal Information and Coordination group which flanks the Eastern Partnership."
 
With regard to the priorities for the coming period of implementation, Ministers stressed the need to make further progress particularly in negotiations on Association Agreements, including Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas.
 
An initial discussion was held at the meeting on possible areas where more could be done within the Eastern Partnership, notably: "improving sectoral cooperation; facilitating the participation of the Partners to the EU programmes; strengthening cooperation in the area conflict prevention and resolution; consolidating the role of civil society. Particular emphasis should be given to easing the mobility of certain categories of people such as students, researchers, academics or business operators."
 
The Conclusions of the meeting said Ministers "looked forward to a strategic debate on the future of the Eastern Partnership at the upcoming Summit in Budapest in May 2011."
 
It was agreed that the next Eastern Partnership Foreign Ministers Meeting would be held during the second half of 2011.