EU-Neighbourhood Policy

The European neighbourhood policy (ENP) sets out to prevent dividing lines between the EU and neighbouring countries in the East and South, and to facilitate trade beyond the EU’s external borders.

ENP explicitly creates no automatic link with an EU accession. Through the »Union for the Mediterranean« and the envisaged »Eastern partnership«, ENP has been given a new regional impetus. For instance, six lighthouse projects are planned for the cooperation with states of the former Soviet union (Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia). These range from improvement of border controls and protection against catastrophes through promotion programmes for SMEs to a coordinated energy pol-icy. To this end, the financial framework will be increased from 450 million euros to 785 millioneuros in 2013.

For ENP, it continues to be useful to set out a strategic framework, but to take account of national specificities for implementation as well as to promote contacts with the benefi ciary countries. Efforts to give priority to cooperation on environment, climate and energy policy are assessed positively.

It is necessary to implement free-trade areas between the EU and its neighbours as well as facilitations or complete elimination of visa requirements. The EU should give the beneficiary countries clear incentives for structural reforms, including improvement of administrative structures and deregulation and privatisation of the economy. The security of Europe’s energy supply and modernisation of the corresponding transmission systems should be moved forward. Dividing lines between ENP target countries of the former Soviet Union and Russia should be avoided.