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Friday, June 5, 2009

First multilateral platform for Eastern Partnership

The first Eastern Partnership (EaP) multilateral platform will be held tomorrow, 5 June, in Brussels between EU institutions and Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. It will focus on democracy, good governance and stability. Four weeks after the launch of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) the EU and its eastern neighbours 1 are getting down to work. One of the innovations of the EaP is a new multilateral dimension to relations with these countries alongside the bilateral path of cooperation .

The aim of the platforms is to support the eastern partners' efforts to approximate to EU standards, to foster exchanges of experience and best practice and to strengthen contacts between them. Tomorrow's meeting will concentrate on mapping out fields for co operation, and will discuss the launch of two Flagship Initiatives, on border management and prevention, preparedness and response to disasters .

The Eastern Partnership brings countries in Eastern Europe and South Caucasus, EU Member States and institutions together to promote security, stability and prosperity. It provides additional support for reforms and modernization efforts in partner countries, bringing them closer to EU principles and practices. This initiative builds on the EU’s European Neighbourhood Policy by developing its specific Eastern dimension.

In addition to strengthening the bilateral relationship between the EU and the partner countries of the EaP multilateral platforms provide a framework to improve understanding of EU legislation and standards, to share experience, and develop joint activities within the Eastern Partnership initiative.

The whole-day meeting on 5 June chaired by the Commission within the multilateral thematic platform on Democracy, good governance and stability marks the beginning of the implementation phase of the Partnership. Representatives of the six partner countries, the EU Member States, the Council Secretariat, and the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee will participate in the working sessions.

Two flagship projects will be presented in this first meeting: “Integrated Border Management” programme and “Prevention of, preparedness for, and response to natural and man-made disasters” (which should be already launched before the end of 2009). The other flagship initiatives include: integration of electricity markets, energy efficiency and renewables; a SME facility; and diversification of energy supply.

First meetings of other EaP platforms will take place in June in Brussels:
- on Contacts between people on 10 June;
- on Energy security on 17 June; and
- on Economic integration and convergence with EU policies on 26 th of June.

In the last two platforms the European Investment Bank (EIB) and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will also participate.

Media advisory:

The meeting tomorrow will be held in the Charlemagne building, 170 rue de la Loi. There will be a short press point before the start of the work (8.50 a.m.) in front of the meeting-room (Lord Jenkins), as well as photo opportunity at the beginning of the meeting.

Source  DG External Relations

More information  EU Commission press room

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