Eastern Partnership Joint Declaration sets new goals

The Joint Declaration endorsed by the Eastern Partnership Summit in Warsaw today says the participants"acknowledged the European aspirations and the European choice of some partners and their commitment to build deep and sustainable democracy, Trend reports with reference on ENPI press release.

"It goes on to say that the Eastern Partnership plays a particular role in supporting "those who seek an ever closer relationship with the EU."

The eight-page document takes stock of the achievements of the EaPand outlines its goals, saying the Partnership aims "to create the necessary conditions to accelerate political association and further economic integration between the European Union and interested partner countries", while stressing that "progressive approximation with EU rules and practices requires a high degree of commitment from partner countries to complex and broad-ranging reforms, underpinned by strong institutional capacity."

The Joint Declaration was adopted by the Heads of State or Government and representatives of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, as well as the representatives of the EU and the Heads of State or Government and representatives of its Member States.

The participants of the Warsaw Summit welcomed the intention of the High Representative and the European Commission to propose by the end of this year a roadmap, in consultation with partners, that would list the objectives, instruments and actions and guide and monitor their implementation until the next Summit in the second half of 2013.

In a separate declaration on the situation in Belarus,the participants of the Summit expressed their "deep concern at the deteriorating human rights, democracy and rule of law situation in Belarus."

The declaration said the EU had consistently offered to deepen its relations with Belarus and, "while reaffirming its policy of critical engagement, reiterates that such a deepening is conditional on progress towards respect by the Belarusian authorities for democracy, the rule of law and human rights."

The Eastern Partnership is a project which was 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. The Eastern Partnership was inaugurated in Prague on 7 May 2009.

The first meeting of foreign ministers in the framework of the Eastern Partnership was held on 8 December 2009 in Brussels.


/Trend/