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European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR)
News article16 October 2018Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations

Eastern Partnership: The EU and neighbouring countries review the progress achieved under the 20 Deliverables for 2020 to bring concrete benefits for citizens

A meeting with Foreign Ministers of the 28 European Union Member States and the EU’s six Eastern partners – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine – and Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and...

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A meeting with Foreign Ministers of the 28 European Union Member States and the EU’s six Eastern partners – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine – and Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, chaired by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini, took place today in Luxembourg to take stock of the progress made under the 20 Deliverables for 2020.

The meeting took place one year after the last Eastern Partnership Summit, during which all partners agreed on an ambitious work plan aiming at bringing tangible benefits to the lives of citizens across the region. In this context, cooperation between the European Union and its six Eastern partner countries has focused on working towards stronger economies, stronger governance, stronger connectivity and stronger societies.

High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini said: “The Eastern Partnership is a key component of our foreign policy. Our Ministerial meeting today has been an important moment to review not only the different bilateral relations we have, but also the common work are doing within the Eastern Partnership framework. We are delivering not only economic benefits, such as increased trade volumes between all six partner countries and the European Union, but also strengthening democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms. We need to keep pressing ahead with implementation if we are to continue to see good results.

Commissioner Johannes Hahn said: "We should be proud of our achievements in the framework of the Eastern Partnership’s 20 Deliverables for 2020. Together, the six Eastern Partners and the EU, have taken concrete steps towards making our societies stronger, the region’s economies more resilient and better connected through improved transport links and infrastructure. Looking ahead, we will continue to work together for concrete results, in particular in the areas of judicial reform and ensuring an enabling environment for civil society and independent media.”

Key achievements over the last year of the EU’s cooperation with the six countries include:

  • the launch of the Eastern Partnership European School;

  • the strengthened support to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and an increase in trade between the partner countries and the EU;

  • the finalisation of an indicative TEN-T investment action plan which foresees 5,500 kilometres of road and rail projects by 2020.

The ministerial meeting also provided the opportunity to exchange views and prepare for the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Eastern Partnership, which will be marked with a series of events throughout 2019.

Background:

Launched in 2009 as a joint policy initiative, the Eastern Partnership (EaP) aims to deepen and strengthen relations between the European Union (EU), its Member States and its six Eastern neighbours: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. At the last Eastern Partnership Summit in November 2017 all partners agreed to deliver tangible benefits to the daily lives of their citizens by focusing on achieving 20 Deliverables for 2020.

More information on the 20 Deliverables for 2020

Details