Cooperation of the EU with Eastern European Countries 

The Eastern Partnership

The Eastern Partnership (EaP) was officially launched at the summit in Prague on 7th of May, 2009, with 33 countries (27 EU Member States and 6 countries of the EaP) represented. It foresees substantial upgrading of the level of engagement of the EU with the six Partner Countries in the Eastern Europe and Southern Caucasus.  

Countries concerned are:

Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia,  Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus

Bilateral cooperation

Main focus of the bilateral cooperation with the EaP countries for the near future is negotiating and signing Association Agreements. These agreements encompass cooperation in the following spheres: signing free trade and comprehensive deep free trade agreements, developing institutions and administrative capacity, developing energy security and efficiency, gradual liberalisation and elimination of the visa regime, helping combat illegal migration, corruption, organized crime. 

Multilateral cooperation

Multilateral cooperation is Important part of the new initiative. Multilateral actions are divided into 4 platforms:

1) Democracy, good governance, stability; 2) Economic integration and convergence with EU policy; 3) Energy security; 4) Contacts between people. 

Panels in cooperation with the Commission and EU Presidency prepare agenda for the Platforms that, in turn, gather problematic issues for the annual meetings of the Foreign Ministers. Finally, the most important issues will be decided in the biannual meetings of the Heads of State. 

Euronest Parliamentary Assembly

Originally, Euronest was meant to be launched in 2009. However, due to the conflicting issue of participation of the members of the Belarussian parliament, it started operating only on 3 of May 2011 without Belarussian MP's. 

During the meeting in Brussels 50 members of the European Parliament, and 50 representatives of parliaments of the partner states (10 from each country, except for Belarus) adopted the constituent act and rules of procedures. Also, the Parliamentary Assembly elected its two Co-Presidents, Kristian Vigenin (Bulgaria) and Borys Tarasyuk (Ukraine), as well as 8 Vice-Presidents, to form a Bureau. Finally, four standing committees were established:

1) Political Affairs, Human Rights and Democracy; 2) Economic Integration, Legal Approximation and Convergence with EU policies; 3) Energy Security; 4) Social Affairs, Education, Culture and Civil Society

CORLEAP 

The European Council and the European Commission invited Committee of the Regions to create CORLEAP, the Conference of Regional and Local Authorities of the Eastern Partnership  which will serve as a platform of political dialogue and information exchange on sub-national level.

CORLEAP aims to:
• allow local and regional authorities to contribute to the Eastern Partnership policy
• accompany the initiatives of the Commission and other participating stakeholders on the local level
• foster internal reform and capacity building at the local and regional level.

The CORLEAP will gather 36 regional/local representatives (18 of which represent local and regional authorities from the Partner Countries, and 18 the CoR). It will be launched from now as a yearly event.

First CORLEAP meeting will take place on the 8th of September in Poznań. Main topics for the discussion:
• EU – EaP Regional Policy Co-operation - Approaches for Local Development
• Instruments for Territorial Co-operation