2. The current state of affairs of the EU Neighbourhood Policy European Liberal Forum – Bucharest, October 2016 –
Mihaela Vasiu
Policy Coordinator
Strategy and Instruments of the European Neighbourhood Policy
European External Action Service
European Union

3. The ENP: origins and evolution
Communication 'Wider Europe' - launch of ENP (2004)
"Ring of friends"
Applies to 16 countries in the East and South:
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine
Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia
Objectives: stability, prosperity, security
Tools: political engagement, technical and financial assistance
Regional dimensions: Eastern Partnership and (since 2008) Union for the Mediterranean
Review in 2011 ("more for more") following the Arab spring

4. The ENP: origins and evolution
Regular assessment of implementation: annual ENP package
ENP sector policies
Employment and social policy, trade, industrial and competition policy, agriculture and rural development, climate change and environment, energy security, transport, research and innovation, as well as mobility and migration, and support to education, culture, youth or public health
Legal agreements: Partnership and Cooperation Agreements (PCA) and Association Agreements (AA)
Financial cooperation – NOT classical development assistance
European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI), International Financial Institutions – EIB, EBRD, World Bank (Neighbourhood Investment Facility - NIF)

5. ENP Review 2015
Stability: complex political change, stalled peace processes, economic and social pressures, major irregular migration flows
Prosperity: mixed results on reform efforts, major economic crisis
Security: armed conflicts, civil war, hybrid threats
Increasing differences of engagement with the EU
Need to review assumptions on which the policy was based

6. ENP Review 2015
Autumn 2014: review proposed by President Juncker and requested by EU Member States
ENP Review consultation process (March – July 2015) → maintain the Policy while ensuring joint ownership and differentiation (country tailor-made approaches)
November 2015 ENP Review Joint Communication (High Representative – Commission) → build more effective partnerships
Council Conclusions (FAC) on 14 December 2015
Implementation ongoing

7. Highlights of the new ENP
Council Conclusions of 15 April 2015:
"The ENP is key for both the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy and other areas of the EU's external action. The neighbourhood is a strategic priority and a fundamental interest for the EU. The Council underlines the importance of a special relationship with the EU's neighbours which needs to be as effective as possible in order to develop an area of shared stability, security and prosperity."
Council Conclusions of 14 December 2015:
"[…] a democratic, stable and prosperous neighbourhood is a strategic priority and a fundamental interest for the EU. Underlining the importance of a special relationship with the EU's neighbours, the stabilisation of the neighbourhood in political, economic and security terms will be the main political priority for the EU in the next years. In doing so, the EU will pursue its interests and promote universal values."

8. ENP Review – the main lines
Stabilising the neighbourhood
Differentiation and increased ownership
Values and interests
A focus on joint priorities for cooperation
The regional dimension and beyond
More effective delivery

9. Stabilising the neighbourhood
Political stabilisation: address causes of instability, which often lie outside the security domain, e.g. poverty, inequality, and lack of opportunity
Economic stabilisation: support economies, in particular prospects for youth; energy cooperation; climate action; migration and mobility
Security-related stabilisation: e.g. conflict prevention, early warning, security sector reform, counter-terrorism, cyber, police/justice cooperation

10. Differentiation and increased ownership
Common policy framework East and South
Emphasis on co-ownership of partners – different patterns of relations will emerge:
Work will develop on the existing basis where there is commitment to shared values; possibility to step up relations with more political dialogue at ministerial level
With other partners, new phase of engagement in 2016, following consultations on the future nature and focus of the partnership
Possibility to discuss new Partnership Priorities
Greater role for Council and EU Member States

11. Values and interests
Rule of law, independent and effective justice systems, effective anti-corruption -> social and economic stability
Human rights, gender, nondiscrimination
Fundamental freedoms
Important role of civil society

12. A focus on joint priorities for cooperation
Economic development and modernisation, employment -> focus on youth, education, growth, connectivity, energy security
Security (security sector reform, counter-terrorism, fighting organised crime, cybersecurity, CBRN risk mitigation, CSDP missions and operations, crisis management and response)
Migration and mobility: increased cooperation on root causes of irregular migration, ensuring protection of those in need, enhanced opportunities on mobility
June 2016 Communication on establishing new Partnership Frameworks with third countries under the European Agenda on Migration – EU External Investment Plan

13. The regional dimension and beyond
Strengthening relations between the neighbours themselves, regional cooperation with Member States and other countries
Role of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) and the Union of the Mediterranean (UfM)
Thematic frameworks
fora to discuss joint policy approaches, programming and investment, including IFIs, international organisations and other donors
involving multilateral actors in the wider region (neighbours of the neighbours)
priorities: migration, energy, security

14. More effective delivery
Flexibility of financial instruments
– Association Agendas and new Partnership Priorities: focus on priorities for assistance
– speeding up aid delivery by streamlining procedures
– proposed flexibility cushion
– joint programming, donor coordination
– macro-financial assistance
– trust funds
Visibility, communication and outreach
– improved public diplomacy
– support of independent, reliable and credible media
– support strategic communication capacities within governments

15. ENP Review – state of play
Eastern Partnership – bilateral
Associated partners, i.e. Georgia, R. Moldova, Ukraine: update the existing Association Agendas instead of negotiating new Partnership Priorities.
Association Agendas with Georgia and R. Moldova planned to be updated by the end of 2016.
Ukraine: current Association Agenda updated in March 2015; further update planned for 2017.
Partnership Priorities: internal work has started on Armenia and Belarus (NB: ongoing negotiations on EU-Armenia Framework Agreement).
Azerbaijan: Partnership Priorities to be discussed once it is clearer what the scope of the new bilateral Agreement will be (EU currently preparing its internal mandate for negotiations).

16. ENP Review – state of play
Eastern Partnership – multilateral
Work advanced in Platforms/Panels
Panel on cooperation in the area of Rule of Law established (civil society consulted)
EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly
Conference of Regional and Local Authorities for the EaP (CORLEAP)
EaP Civil Society Forum
More effective communication - East StratCom Task Force
modalities to further strengthen cooperation to be decided upon at the 2017 EaP summit

17. ENP Review – state of play
SOUTH bilateral
Partnership Priorities and Compacts with Jordan and Lebanon adopted earlier this month, on 17 October
Discussions with Egypt advanced
Discussions with Algeria at the beginning
Consideration currently being given to possible Partnership Priorities with Israel and, at a later point, with Palestine
Reaching out to Morocco would depend on developments at the bilateral level (in connection with the ICJ decision)
In cases where, for the moment, it is not possible to discuss Partnership Priorities (Tunisia, Syria, Libya), priority areas of cooperation to be discussed in the framework of specific political/security dialogues

18. ENP Review – state of play
SOUTH multilateral
Cooperation in UfM framework – potential of delivering concrete and direct benefits for young people, women, entrepreneurs and citizens of the region
41 UfM-labelled regional projects (EUR 5 billion) financed from mixed sources (governments, financial institutions, development agencies, private sector, etc.) among which 22 under implementation
November 2015 UfM High-Level Meeting hosted by HRVP and Jordanian FM injected new momentum into UfM cooperation → next such meeting :January 2017 Barcelona
“Roadmap for the UfM” discussed at the Senior Officials’ Meeting held in Brussels on 14 October 2016 → to be endorsed next January

19. ENP Review – what's next?
Main goal shared by ENP Review and EU Global Strategy: resilience through stabilisation
Focus on the new security dimension → civil society to be consulted on the package of proposed concrete follow-up measures
March/April 2017 Joint Communication (HR-Commission) on the implementation of the ENP Review and trends in the neighbourhood region
Country specific reports – timed to provide the basis for political exchanges in Association Council (or similar high-level meetings with partners)