President Juncker at the Eastern Partnership Summit
Eastern Partnership Summit delivers tangible results to
citizens
The 5th Eastern Partnership Summit i took place today in Brussels with leaders focussing on the way in which the initiative - which brings together the EU i institutions, the 28 EU Member States, and the six Eastern partner countries, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine - can continue to be a Partnership of added value for citizens across the continent.
The European Union was represented by the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker i, and the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk i alongside Heads of State or Government from the EU Member States. They were joined by the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini i, the Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn i and the Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström i.
Following up on a number of significant achievements that have been accomplished since the last Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga in May 2015, leaders endorsed 20 deliverables which will bring tangible benefits to citizens by 2020. The Summit participants agreed a Joint Summit Declaration. In the margins of the Summit, a number of agreements were taken forward, including a new bilateral agreement between the European Union and Armenia; A Common Aviation Area Agreement with Armenia; and the extension of the EU's Trans-European Transport (TEN-T) network to Eastern partners.
"The Eastern Partnership is first and foremost a partnership of people. It is about improving lives in all of our countries, about bringing our societies closer together. It is about standing up for the values, principles and aspirations that people in the European Union and in our eastern neighbourhood collectively share", said the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. "At today's Summit we agreed on a set of 20 concrete actions to complete by 2020. Through the Eastern Partnership, the European Union has helped to create 10,000 jobs, train 20,000 people, and provide over 100,000 loans to companies. We have improved access to free legal services, invested in transport links, promoted gender equality, and helped thousands of students to move between Europe and the Eastern Partnership region. As we look to 2020 and beyond, now is the time for even more action. We are on the right track, let us stay the course."
The 20 concrete actions agreed today include:
-
-Broadened outreach and targeted support in particular to grassroots civil society organisations;
-
-Supporting businesses and providing loans in local currencies, in partnership with key International Financial Institutions;
-
-Improving the capacity of partner countries to take advantage of the trade opportunities with the EU and with each other;
-
-Reform commitments and specific investments in the area of energy efficiency;
-
-Developing better and safer transport links by 2030 with a long-term investment contributing to connecting the partner countries with the EU and amongst themselves;
-
-A digital package, including concrete steps towards harmonised roaming pricing and reduced roaming tariffs among the partner countries, easier and cheaper access to internet through the roll out of national broadband strategies, and support for job creation in digital industries;
-
-A substantial new support package to youth and education;
-
-A comprehensive new communication approach on assistance for the Eastern Partnership, and a stepping-up of strategic communication.
The Summit also endorsed a revised multilateral institutional set-up for the Eastern Partnership, providing for stronger political guidance and a more results-oriented approach to our cooperation.
Related links
Joint Declaration of the 5th Eastern Partnership Summit
Factsheet on the Eastern Partnership's 20 deliverables for 2020
Eastern Partnership - Focusing on key priorities and deliverables (Joint staff working document)
Factsheet on myths about the Eastern Partnership
Factsheet: EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement