European Neighbourhood Policy
In the five years since the establishment of the European Neighbourhood Policy, mobility, commercial trade, and assistance to countries not yet eligible to join the Union have increased. But civil and political rights still need improvement
The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) was first developed by the European Union in 2004. Its goal is to intensify the Union's relations with its neighbours in order to improve regional stability and social and economic exchange. Sixteen countries, mainly located on the Mediterranean coast, take part in this initiative. They are: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Ukraine, Moldavia, Belarus, and, in the South Caucasus region, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) was first developed by the European Union in 2004. Its goal is to intensify the Union's relations with its neighbours in order to improve regional stability and social and economic exchange. Sixteen countries, mainly located on the Mediterranean coast, take part in this initiative. They are: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Ukraine, Moldavia, Belarus, and, in the South Caucasus region, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
Under the bilateral structure of the ENP, the EU offers technical and financial assistance in exchange for the ENP partner countries' adoption of Action Plans, outlined according to each individual country's needs and those of the EU. The Action Plans envision the implementation of reforms that will improve countries' democracy levels, good governance, security, respect for human rights, and sustainable development. Currently, only 12 countries have agreed to implement these reforms. Algeria, Belarus, Libya, and Syria have not yet taken action.
This year is the ENP' s 5th anniversary. “The intensified political relations, commercial trade, people-to-people contacts, not to mention the increased cooperation in sector-based areas, are proof of the achieved results,” declared Stafan Füle, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy. “The EU is spreading stability and prosperity beyond the enlargement areas,” stressed the Commissioner. He also praised the neighbouring countries' progress, in particular in the economic sector. “Despite the improvements achieved so far, refinements in the fields of democracy and political reforms, particularly slow in the previous years, are essential,”concluded Füle.
To celebrate the last five years of work aimed at the reinforcement of relations between the EU and its neighbours, the European Commission produced a video highlighting some of the partnership's various achievements, with footage from most of the ENP partners. The video is offered to Osservatorio readers here.
