Winner
Diverse in Unity
Something tells me that Moscow won't like this 
EU press release:
Translation: "follow us and we'll help you to modernize, give you money and one day we might even consider giving you a membership". See the repeated mention of energy security? It's clear Brussels wants to use this to challenge Russia's gas transportation monopoly.
Side note: cooperation with Eastern European countries is a top priority for the Czech Rep.'s EU presidency.
Wiki article:
EU sets out Eastern Partnership plans
The EU's Eastern Partnership with former Soviet states will demonstrate the “power of soft power”, European Commission's president says.
The European Commission today presented proposals for an enhanced formal relationship that could see the creation of “comprehensive” free-trade relationships with five former Soviet states.
Presenting the plans for the new ‘Eastern Partnership' on 3 December, José Manuel Barroso, the European Commission's president, said that “the message [to the five countries] is clear: we want to help you with the political and economic challenges you are facing”.
The Eastern Partnership will supersede and go beyond the EU's current European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) with the five countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The door has also been left open to a sixth country, Belarus.
Barroso said he was convinced that the Partnership would demonstrate the “power of soft power” and acknowledged that the conflict in Georgia in August had influenced the decision to launch the Partnership. He nonetheless insisted that the proposal should not be seen as an attempt to establish a “sphere of influence” vis-à-vis Russia. “We don't need a new Cold War,” he said. “We need cool heads.”
No prospect of EU membership
As expected, the proposal for the Eastern Partnership, which has been championed by Sweden, Poland and the Czech Republic and which will be launched at a specially convened summit during the Czech presidency of the EU next year, does not give the five countries a road-map to EU membership. It does offer ‘association agreements' to any of them that make sufficient reforms, an agreement that has in the past meant that a country has a long-term prospect of joining the EU. However, an ‘association agreement' given to Ukraine in September was not accompanied by any suggestion that Ukraine might ultimately become a member of the EU and today, while saying that Ukraine will be the “avant-garde” of the group, Barroso ruled out offering Ukraine the prospect of EU membership for the time being.
“We have made most progress with Ukraine and have strong bilateral relations with Kiev, but an association agreement is all we can offer Ukraine,” the Commission president said.
Proposals
The association agreement envisaged within the Eastern Partnership would include the establishment of a “deep and comprehensive” free-trade agreement with a partner country, once it has joined the World Trade Organization (WTO). The EU will also encourage the partner countries to establish a free-trade network among themselves, which it hopes might in the long term lead them to create an economic community.
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European commissioner for external affairs, did not rule out the possibility that Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Belarus's president, could attend the launch of the Partnership, which could occur in April. She said, however, that Belarus, the only country whose participation in the Partnership is uncertain, still has much to do before it can be considered “mature” either in the framework of the ENP or of the Eastern Partnership.
The partnership includes both bilateral initiatives, targeted to needs of each individual country, and multilateral programmes. A total of €600 million will be set aside to be spent between 2010 and 2013. Most of that sum (€350 million) will be fresh money. The remainder (€250) will come from the redeployment of resources from current aid programmes.
Ferrero-Waldner revealed that a conference to raise funds for investment in upgrading Ukraine's pipelines is planned for the spring and also said that the EU is keen for Ukraine and Moldova to move from being observers of the European Energy Community to becoming full members. Brussels is also keen on signing memoranda of understanding with the three southern Caucasian republics on their relationship with the Energy Community, which sets up a regulatory framework for its members. Georgia currently has observer status. Neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan have a formal relationship with the grouping.
Bilateral initiatives in the proposals include talks aimed first at waiving visa fees and, in the longer term, at ending visa requirements. Pledges to support a comprehensive institution-building programme and further assistance with economic and social development are also included in the package, as is mutual energy security.
The package also contains five multilateral initiatives, with programmes on integrated border management; on technical and financial assistance for small and medium-sized enterprises; on developing plans for a future southern energy corridor; on improvements to regional electricity markets; and on preventing man-made disasters and preparing for natural disasters and man-made disasters. All are designed with an eye to encouraging the Partnership's member countries to pool their experiences in these areas.
Source: European Voice
EU press release:
Spoiler :
The Eastern Partnership –an ambitious new chapter in the EU's relations with its Eastern neighbours
The Commission's proposal for a new Eastern Partnership represents a step change in the EU’s relations with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus[1], Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. This ambitious Partnership foresees a substantial upgrading of the level of political engagement, including the prospect of a new generation of Association Agreements, far-reaching integration into the EU economy, easier travel to the EU for citizens providing that security requirements are met, enhanced energy security arrangements benefitting all concerned, and increased financial assistance. The EU proposes much more intensive day to day support for partners' reform efforts through a new Comprehensive Institution Building programme, and a new multilateral dimension which will bring partners together to address common challenges. The new Partnership includes new measures to support the social and economic development of the 6 countries, and five flagship initiatives that will give very concrete evidence of the EU's support.
President José Manuel Barroso stated: “Only with strong political will and commitment on both sides will the Eastern Partnership achieve its objective of political association and economic integration. We need to make an even greater investment in mutual stability and prosperity. This will be quickly compensated by important political and economic benefits and will lead to more stability and security both for the EU and for our Eastern partners.”
“The time is ripe to open a new chapter in relations with our Eastern neighbours” –Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner added. “Building on the progress of the last years we have prepared an ambitious and at the same time well-balanced offer. The security and stability of the EU is affected by events taking place in Eastern Europe and in the Southern Caucasus. Our policy towards these countries should be strong, proactive and unequivocal. The EU will continue with the successful approach of tailor-made programmes on a new scale and add a strong multilateral dimension. It remains our principle though that progress must go hand in hand with reform efforts by our partners, but this new package also offers more intensive assistance to help them meet their goals."
The Eastern Partnership responds to the desire of the EU's Eastern neighbours to move closer to the European Union. Yet, it is also in the EU’s vital interest to contribute to the development of stability, better governance and economic development at its Eastern borders.
Since 1989 sweeping changes have occurred on the EU’s eastern flank. Successive enlargements have brought greater geographic proximity with our Eastern neighbours, while reforms supported by the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) have brought these countries politically and economically closer to the EU. The EU has a growing responsibility to the partners to help them address the political and economic challenges they face and support their aspirations for closer ties, not least in the light of the conflict in Georgia last summer. Following the conflict in the Caucasus the European Council of the 1st September requested the Commission to present its proposal earlier than previously foreseen.
Following consultations with the Eastern Partners the Commission proposes to engage more deeply bilateral relations with the Eastern Partners and to launch a new multilateral framework for cooperation. The main new points of the initiative are:
New association agreements including deep and comprehensive free trade agreements for those willing and ready to take on the far-reaching commitments with the EU that these entail;
Comprehensive programmes funded by the EU to improve partners’ administrative capacity;
Gradual integration into the EU economy (with the asymmetry appropriate to the partners’ economies) including legally binding commitments on regulatory approximation;
Encourage partners to develop a free trade network between themselves which could in the longer term join up into a Neighbourhood Economic Community
The conclusion of “mobility and security pacts”, allowing for easier legitimate travel to the EU while at the same time stepping up efforts to combat corruption, organized crime and illegal migration. These pacts would also cover the upgrading asylum systems to EU standards and the establishment of integrated border management structures, etc. the ultimate goal being visa-free travel with all cooperating partners;
The Commission will study possibilities for labour mobility with the aim of opening the EU labour market further;
Enhanced energy security for the EU and its Eastern Partners;
Programmes addressing economic and social development in the partner countries, particularly addressing sharp economic and social disparities in their countries
Creation of four multilateral policy platforms: on Democracy, good governance and stability; Economic integration and convergence with EU policies, Energy security; and Contacts between people to further support partners' individual reform efforts
Flagship initiatives: Integrated Border Management Programme; SME facility; promotion of Regional electricity markets, energy efficiency and renewable energy sources; development of the Southern energy corridor; and co operation on Prevention, preparedness for and response to natural and man-made disasters
More people-to-people contacts and greater involvement of civil society and other stakeholders, including the European Parliament;
Additional Financial Assistance – a substantial increase from € 450 million in 2008 to € 785 million in 2013. This means a supplementary envelope of € 350 million in addition to the planned resources for 2010-2013. Moreover we will redeploy €250 million already allocated to the ENP regional programmes.
The Commission proposes to launch this initiative in spring 2009 at a special “Eastern Partnership Summit”.
Translation: "follow us and we'll help you to modernize, give you money and one day we might even consider giving you a membership". See the repeated mention of energy security? It's clear Brussels wants to use this to challenge Russia's gas transportation monopoly.
Side note: cooperation with Eastern European countries is a top priority for the Czech Rep.'s EU presidency.
Wiki article:
Spoiler :
The Eastern Partnership is a project which was formally proposed to be initiated by the European Union (EU). It was presented by the foreign minister of Poland with assistance from Sweden at a the EU's General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels on 26 May 2008.[1]
It is meant to complement the Northern Dimension and the Union for the Mediterranean by providing an institutionalised forum for discussing visa agreements, free trade deals and strategic partnership agreements with the EU's eastern neighbours, while avoiding the controversial topic of accession to the European Union. Its geographical scope is to consist of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.[2] Belarus will only participate at a technical level (due to the EU's opposition to Alexander Lukashenko, whom it considers a dictator), while Russia will be invited to participate in some local initiatives, for instance regarding its Kaliningrad Oblast exclave. Unlike the Union for the Mediterranean, the Eastern Partnership will not have its own secretariat, but would be controlled directly by the European Commission.[3]
It was discussed at the European Council on 19 June and 20 June 2008, together with the Union for the Mediterranean.[4]
The Czech Republic endorses the proposal completely, while Bulgaria and Romania are cautious, fearing that the Black Sea Forum for Partnership and Dialogue and the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation could be undermined. Meanwhile, Germany, France and others are not quite happy with the possibility that the Eastern Partnership will be seen as a stepping stone to membership (especially for Ukraine), while Poland and other Eastern states have explicitly welcomed this effect.[5]
There are plans to model the concept on the Stabilisation and Association Process used by the EU in the Balkans, including a possible free trade area encompassing the countries in the region, similar to BAFTA or CEFTA. A membership perspective for 2020 or later is not ruled out, either.[6]
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