Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, Members of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly examined how to take the EU’s Eastern Partnership initiative forward.
Meeting in Chișinău, Moldova, for the 10th Session of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly on 19-21 February, MEPs and parliamentarians from the Eastern Partnership countries held a key debate on the future of the region in the aftermath of Russia’s war against Ukraine. During the discussions, some participants pointed out that, given developments such as Moscow’s aggression and the subsequent granting of EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, the EU’s Eastern Partnership cooperation merits a rethink to make it more attractive and adapt it to the rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape. They also highlighted that these recent developments require the EU to seize the window of opportunity to cement good progress and the current European aspirations of some of the EU’s Eastern European partner countries.
Other speakers, however, called for a more realistic discussion on Russia’s influence over Eastern Europe and the internal politics of these countries, questioning whether the Eastern Partnership countries can ever join the EU as long as Russia opposes it.
Furthermore, there were also calls for a more tailor-made approach to the EU’s relations with the Eastern Partnership, highlighting the differences between these countries, which requires a more flexible and proactive stance towards countries with a more firm European commitment. Some called for Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, together with the Western Balkan countries, to be integrated into the EU single market by 2027 and to become full members of the Union by 2029. Others pointed to the usefulness of the EU’s Eastern partnership initiative as the main forum for cooperation with the region, in parallel to evolving bilateral relations.
The session was opened by, among others, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and Moldovan President Maia Sandu. You can watch it again here.
The future of the Eastern Partnership will also be the subject of a new report to be debated and voted on in Euronest’s Standing Committee on Political Affairs, Human Rights and Democracy.
The war in Ukraine, energy security and disinformation
During the preceding meetings of the Euronest standing committees and working groups, the participants adopted draft reports on several topics. They also discussed a wide range of issues, including Russian malicious disinformation campaigns targeting the Eastern Partnership region, Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction needs, energy security challenges and the social consequences of the war in Ukraine and other armed conflicts.
You can watch all the meetings again here. The new resolutions adopted by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly will be available here.
Press conference
Following the session, the two Co-Chairs of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, MEP Andrius Kubilius (EPP, Lithuania) and Moldovan parliamentarian Ina Coșeru held a joint press conference. You can catch up with it again here.
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“Given the geopolitical challenges Europe is currently facing, it was so crucial to hold the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly in Chișinău. Not just because we are next to Ukraine fighting Russia’s war of aggression, but because Moldova shows that if the people in the Eastern Partnership region are able to choose freely, they are choosing the European direction. Democracy is the only way for sustainable peace to be created on the European continent. That is also why integrating the Eastern Partnership countries towards the EU is necessary not only for them, but strategically also for the EU itself”, said Mr Kubilius after the session.
Background
The Euronest Parliamentary Assembly was established on 3 May 2011 in Brussels, when the Presidents (or their representatives) of the Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Moldovan, Ukrainian and European Parliaments signed the Assembly’s Constitutive Act.
The mission of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly is to promote the conditions necessary to accelerate political association and further economic integration between the EU and the Eastern European Partners, as well as to strengthen cooperation within the region and between the region and the EU. The multilateral Assembly contributes to strengthening, developing, and increasing the visibility of the Eastern Partnership.
Source – EU Parliament