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European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR)
News article14 May 2019Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations

Eastern Partnership: President Juncker opens 10th anniversary celebratory conference

President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, this morning delivered the keynote speech to open the Eastern Partnership 10th Anniversary High-Level Conference.

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President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, this morning delivered the keynote speech to open the Eastern Partnership 10th Anniversary High-Level Conference. “The Eastern Partnership is fundamentally a partnership for the citizens and with the citizens; firmly focussed on what is important for them. Together we are working towards stronger economies, stronger governance, stronger connectivity and stronger societies”, said President Juncker. “We have put in place ambitious Association Agreements and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine and citizens of these countries also benefit from visa free travel for short stays in the EU. 125,000 loans have been provided to businesses in the Eastern Partnership, of which half are in local currency, and we have contributed to the creation of over 30,000 jobs in the region. And our trade has increased with each of the six Eastern Partnership countries, which together are the EU's 10th trading partner. I would like us to continue to focus on the content of what we believe we should do together so that our Partnership can keep its promises.” The Conference, which brings together Heads of State or Government and Foreign Ministers of the partner countries, Foreign Ministers of the European Union Member States, civil society representatives, business leaders, young people and journalists from across the 34 countries, not only celebrates the Partnership's successes, but is providing a forum for discussions on its future strategic direction. The Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, and the Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström, are also participating. Live coverage of the entire conference is provided by Europe by Satellite. Factsheets on the top 10 achievements of the Eastern Partnership as well as the EU's relations with the six Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine) are available online.