Memo: Eastern Partnership

Why are the EU and partner countries launching the Eastern Partnership?

Because the time is ripe to step up EU’s relations with its Eastern neighbours. Events in the countries in Eastern Europe and in the Southern Caucasus affect the EU. Successive EU enlargements have brought these countries closer to the EU and their security, stability and prosperity increasingly impacts on the EU’s. All these countries, to varying degrees, are implementing political, social and economic reforms, and have stated their wish to come closer to the EU.

The policy towards these countries has to be strong, proactive and unequivocal: with the Eastern Partnership the EU offers its Eastern partners concrete, far-reaching support for democratic and market-oriented reforms and thus contribute to the their political and economic stability. The multilateral component of the Eastern Partnership gives the EU an additional instrument to foster reforms, by providing a forum for the six partner countries to exchange experience and information in the framework of four platforms.