Eastern partnership beyond the Riga summit: Rethinking cooperation

Abstract

The European Union could not effectively adjust the tools and instruments of the Eastern Partnership program to the different paths the six partner countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) have embarked on over the past few years. To remain a relevant actor in the post-Soviet space able to promote its values while fostering political and economic relations with its neighbors, Brussels and the member states need to review and reform their approach to the eastern neighborhood. Recognizing this necessity, the European Commission (EC) and the European External Action Service (EEAS) recently initiated a review process of the EU’s neighborhood policy as a whole. The present position paper seeks to contribute to this process and add to the discussion on how the EU and its member states should shape their approach to the region in the future.