# Official Journal C 134/2020

| | ISSN 1977-091X |
| --- | --- |
| Official Journal
  of the European Union | C 134 |
| | |
| English edition | Information and Notices | Volume 6324 April 2020 |

ISSN 1977-091X

Official Journal

of the European Union

C 134

English edition

Information and Notices

Volume 6324 April 2020

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| Contents | page |
| --- | --- |
| | I   Resolutions, recommendations and opinions |
| | RESOLUTIONS |
| | Euronest Parliamentary Assembly |
| 2020/C 134/01 | Resolution by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly on Parliamentary oversight as a tool to strengthen democracy, accountability and effectiveness of state institutions in the Eastern Partner countries | 1 |
| 2020/C 134/02 | Resolution By the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly on Facilitating digitalisation to improve efficiency and stimulate economic growth in the EU and Eastern Partnership countries | 7 |
| 2020/C 134/03 | Resolution by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly on Solidarity and approximation in energy sector – towards a progressive regulatory framework | 11 |
| 2020/C 134/04 | Resolution by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly on innovation in education and education reforms in the EU and Eastern partners’ countries: challenges and opportunities’ | 16 |
| 2020/C 134/05 | Resolution by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly on the future of the Trio Plus Strategy 2030: building a future of Eastern Partnership | 22 |

Contents

page

I   Resolutions, recommendations and opinions

RESOLUTIONS

Euronest Parliamentary Assembly

2020/C 134/01

Resolution by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly on Parliamentary oversight as a tool to strengthen democracy, accountability and effectiveness of state institutions in the Eastern Partner countries

1

2020/C 134/02

Resolution By the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly on Facilitating digitalisation to improve efficiency and stimulate economic growth in the EU and Eastern Partnership countries

7

2020/C 134/03

Resolution by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly on Solidarity and approximation in energy sector – towards a progressive regulatory framework

11

2020/C 134/04

Resolution by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly on innovation in education and education reforms in the EU and Eastern partners’ countries: challenges and opportunities’

16

2020/C 134/05

Resolution by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly on the future of the Trio Plus Strategy 2030: building a future of Eastern Partnership

22

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| EN | |
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EN

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I Resolutions, recommendations and opinions

RESOLUTIONS

Euronest Parliamentary Assembly

| 24.4.2020 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 134/1 |
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24.4.2020

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 134/1

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RESOLUTION

by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly on Parliamentary oversight as a tool to strengthen democracy, accountability and effectiveness of state institutions in the Eastern Partner countries

(2020/C 134/01)

THE EURONEST PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY,

| — | having regard to the Constituent Act of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly of 3 May 2011, |
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—

having regard to the Constituent Act of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly of 3 May 2011,

| — | having regard to the Joint Declaration of the Eastern Partnership Summit of 24 November 2017, in Brussels, and its previous declarations, |
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—

having regard to the Joint Declaration of the Eastern Partnership Summit of 24 November 2017, in Brussels, and its previous declarations,

| — | having regard to the Global Strategy for the EU’s Foreign and Security Policy of June 2016, entitled ‘Shared Vision, Common Action: A Stronger Europe’, and its implementation reports of years 1 (2016) and 2 (2017), |
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—

having regard to the Global Strategy for the EU’s Foreign and Security Policy of June 2016, entitled ‘Shared Vision, Common Action: A Stronger Europe’, and its implementation reports of years 1 (2016) and 2 (2017),

| — | having regard to the Commission and the European External Action Service Joint Staff Working Document of 9 June 2017 on ‘Eastern Partnership - 20 Deliverables for 2020: Focusing on key priorities and tangible results’, |
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—

having regard to the Commission and the European External Action Service Joint Staff Working Document of 9 June 2017 on ‘Eastern Partnership - 20 Deliverables for 2020: Focusing on key priorities and tangible results’,

| — | having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 9 July 2015 on the review of the European Neighbourhood Policy, |
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—

having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 9 July 2015 on the review of the European Neighbourhood Policy,

| — | having regard to the report of 18 May 2017 by the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the Commission on the Implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy Review, |
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—

having regard to the report of 18 May 2017 by the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the Commission on the Implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy Review,

| — | having regard to the European Parliament recommendation of 15 November 2017 to the Council, the Commission and the European External Action Service on the Eastern Partnership, in the run-up to the November 2017 Summit, |
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—

having regard to the European Parliament recommendation of 15 November 2017 to the Council, the Commission and the European External Action Service on the Eastern Partnership, in the run-up to the November 2017 Summit,

| — | having regard to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly resolution of 3 April 2012 on strengthening civil society in the Eastern Partnership Countries, including the question of cooperation between government and civil society, and the question of the reforms aimed at empowering civil society, |
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—

having regard to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly resolution of 3 April 2012 on strengthening civil society in the Eastern Partnership Countries, including the question of cooperation between government and civil society, and the question of the reforms aimed at empowering civil society,

| — | having regard to the Association Agreements between the EU on one side and Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine on the other side, |
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—

having regard to the Association Agreements between the EU on one side and Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine on the other side,

| — | having regard to the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between the EU and Armenia; |
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—

having regard to the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between the EU and Armenia;

| A. | whereas effective parliamentary oversight is a pillar of a well-functioning democracy, in line with the principles of rule of law, and plays an essential role in democratic governance by helping to improve the quality of executives’ policies, programmes and practices and imparting greater legitimacy to those policies; |
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A.

whereas effective parliamentary oversight is a pillar of a well-functioning democracy, in line with the principles of rule of law, and plays an essential role in democratic governance by helping to improve the quality of executives’ policies, programmes and practices and imparting greater legitimacy to those policies;

| B. | whereas strengthening Eastern Partner countries (EaP) Parliaments’ capacity to conduct effective oversight is of crucial importance and should be supported by the European Commission; |
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B.

whereas strengthening Eastern Partner countries (EaP) Parliaments’ capacity to conduct effective oversight is of crucial importance and should be supported by the European Commission;

| C. | whereas in any political system really applying the principle of the separation of powers, the parliament, on top of holding the legislative and budgetary powers, also exerts the overall oversight and control of the executive; |
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C.

whereas in any political system really applying the principle of the separation of powers, the parliament, on top of holding the legislative and budgetary powers, also exerts the overall oversight and control of the executive;

| D. | whereas parliamentary oversight powers cover all policies and political action of the government and its agencies and are not restricted to the executive’s implementation of the laws and the budget (budgetary control); |
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D.

whereas parliamentary oversight powers cover all policies and political action of the government and its agencies and are not restricted to the executive’s implementation of the laws and the budget (budgetary control);

| E. | whereas the independence of the judiciary is another important pillar of a functioning democracy; |
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E.

whereas the independence of the judiciary is another important pillar of a functioning democracy;

| F. | whereas three political systems are commonly distinguished, namely the presidential type of political system, the parliamentary type of political system and the semi-presidential or semi-parliamentary types of political systems; |
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F.

whereas three political systems are commonly distinguished, namely the presidential type of political system, the parliamentary type of political system and the semi-presidential or semi-parliamentary types of political systems;

| G. | whereas on top of the plenary sittings, parliamentary committees are established to prepare the overall work of the institution and to guarantee an efficient daily oversight on the government and its policies and actions; |
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G.

whereas on top of the plenary sittings, parliamentary committees are established to prepare the overall work of the institution and to guarantee an efficient daily oversight on the government and its policies and actions;

| H. | whereas an independent, not constrained and well-functioning parliament, which enjoys all its constitutional powers including freedom to exert true scrutiny over the government and its agencies, becomes a key institution to consolidate the rule of law, including an effective fight against corruption which puts an end to impunity; |
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H.

whereas an independent, not constrained and well-functioning parliament, which enjoys all its constitutional powers including freedom to exert true scrutiny over the government and its agencies, becomes a key institution to consolidate the rule of law, including an effective fight against corruption which puts an end to impunity;

| I. | whereas civil society organisations, media and human rights institutions provide input in the Parliament’s task of oversight through their evaluations, inquiries and observations over the state institutions and their actions; |
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I.

whereas civil society organisations, media and human rights institutions provide input in the Parliament’s task of oversight through their evaluations, inquiries and observations over the state institutions and their actions;

| J. | whereas a free independent media and a free, sufficiently funded and efficiently structured civil society in the country are therefore fundamental also for an efficient and healthy functioning of the democracy and are of assistance to the Parliaments in their oversight tasks; |
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J.

whereas a free independent media and a free, sufficiently funded and efficiently structured civil society in the country are therefore fundamental also for an efficient and healthy functioning of the democracy and are of assistance to the Parliaments in their oversight tasks;

| K. | whereas the processes of democratic consolidation require that national political institutions are ready to adopt best practices and to implement lessons learnt from its own and others’ experiences; |
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K.

whereas the processes of democratic consolidation require that national political institutions are ready to adopt best practices and to implement lessons learnt from its own and others’ experiences;

| L. | whereas basic red lines for democratic states are set by the irrevocable application of separation of powers, strict respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the firm defence of the rule of law; |
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L.

whereas basic red lines for democratic states are set by the irrevocable application of separation of powers, strict respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the firm defence of the rule of law;

| M. | whereas regular elections, in line with international recognised standards, notably on competitiveness and transparency, are certainly fundamental, but taken alone are not the final evidence of a democratic political system; |
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M.

whereas regular elections, in line with international recognised standards, notably on competitiveness and transparency, are certainly fundamental, but taken alone are not the final evidence of a democratic political system;

| N. | whereas multiparty parliaments are often seen as much more representative bodies and the high number of ideologically oriented parties provides a closer approximation to representation of the various interests in society; |
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N.

whereas multiparty parliaments are often seen as much more representative bodies and the high number of ideologically oriented parties provides a closer approximation to representation of the various interests in society;

| O. | whereas the European Parliament’s Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG) provides particular democracy support to a list of priority countries which includes the three EaP countries with an Association Agreement with the EU - Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine; |
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O.

whereas the European Parliament’s Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG) provides particular democracy support to a list of priority countries which includes the three EaP countries with an Association Agreement with the EU - Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine;

| P. | whereas the European Union supports EaP countries through specific projects to assist their parliaments to strengthen their government oversight, such as the 2009-2019 ‘Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy in Georgia’ or, along with the United Nations Development Programme, the 2016-2018 Ukrainian ‘Rada for Europe’ or European Parliament's Needs Assessment Mission to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (2015-2016); |
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P.

whereas the European Union supports EaP countries through specific projects to assist their parliaments to strengthen their government oversight, such as the 2009-2019 ‘Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy in Georgia’ or, along with the United Nations Development Programme, the 2016-2018 Ukrainian ‘Rada for Europe’ or European Parliament's Needs Assessment Mission to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (2015-2016);

Tackling challenges to parliamentary oversight activities

| 1. | Underlines that democracy implies the equal representation of women and men in decision-making positions and the promotion of women in decision-making positions are therefore important areas of action; calls the EU Member States and EaP countries to improve women's representation in parliament; |
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1.

| 2. | Stresses that oversight functions along with political impulse represent one of the main tasks of parliament today, which requires a process of constant communication between the government and the parliament and the government’s acceptance to be accountable to the parliament; calls on the EaP countries to maintain and further develop political systems that favour such constant communication and accountability; |
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2.

| 3. | Calls on the European Commission for a dedicated program aiming at strengthening parliamentary oversight in Eastern Neighbourhood countries by: improving coordination and collaboration between state agencies, parliament and Civil Society Organizations, proposing a tailored training module for the staff of the parliaments, or by supporting administrative reforms; |
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3.

| 4. | Assesses that in all six EaP countries, though to significantly different degrees, strong traditions in the exercise of parliamentary oversight are missing, leaving room for gaps in effective response mechanisms; calls for reinforcing reporting mechanisms for systematic dialogue between the executive branch and parliament; |
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4.

| 5. | Believes that reform processes in the EaP parliamentary administrations requires continuity in order to provide for synchronisation between the functions of the entire parliamentary infrastructure and the daily needs and expectations of the members of parliament: underlines in this respect that the administration also has to serve as guarantor for the full and appropriate legislative, representative, oversight (inter alia on budgeting) and other functions; |
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5.

| 6. | Calls for further public administration reform in EaP countries, as such reforms, if properly addressed, will allow public administrations to be more citizen-oriented and transparent, while providing faster and better services to citizens and businesses; states that an efficient, transparent, citizen-oriented public administration is a precondition for the proper functioning of public governance and socio-economic development in the EaP countries, and hence has an impact over the quality of the democracy by facilitating and increasing the quality of parliamentary oversight in the country; |
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6.

| 7. | Assesses that challenges for the extent and effectiveness of parliamentary oversight appear in countries with strong presidential systems, which can be observed in Azerbaijan and Belarus, where the presidents have very strong powers vis-a-vis the parliament and government; appreciates that the situation in Armenia and Georgia evolved during the last years through consecutive reforms of constitution, moving towards pure parliamentary political systems, followed by peaceful changes of governments through non-violent, Velvet revolution in Armenian case and via elections in Georgian case; still calls on all six EaP countries that further reforms are needed to strengthen parliamentary oversight; |
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7.

| 8. | Reiterates that Eastern Neighbourhood Parliaments, when adopting any new legislative act, should not over-rush and need to adjust procedures allowing extended debates with opposition and other stakeholders on the content and details of the reforms in order to strengthen the role of the main legislative body’s oversight; |
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8.

| 9. | Observes that to different extents, economic or other non-political elites have a strong influence on parliamentarians in the EaP countries hindering an independent and transparent scrutiny of governmental policies and actions as well as an efficient effective administrative reforms; is concerned with cases of mobility between political groups of large number of parliamentarians during their mandates, as it happened in Moldova in the 2014-2019 legislature; calls on EaP national parliaments to introduce means of guaranteeing the independence of parliamentarians and to halt gerrymandering practices; calls on the EaP countries to drive forward reform of the electoral legislation that lead to the establishment of means for an effective governmental accountability; recalls the EaP countries that during the amending the electoral legislation they should create equal possibilities for the representation of all ethnic minorities; |
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9.

| 10. | Urges political parties to address electoral reforms through a cross-party dialogue to ensure broad political support; |
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10.

| 11. | Calls on the authorities to implement OSCE/ODHIR election observation recommendations well before future elections; |
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11.

| 12. | Notes with concern that corruption remains a phenomenon which endangers trust in democracy not only in EaP countries, but in Europe as a whole; expresses concerns over corruption within parliament and in other state institutions, which even being reduced in some of the EaP countries, still to various degrees affects effective parliamentary oversight and calls for transparent investigation of every known case; underlines the need for accountability and for an end to impunity; |
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12.

| 13. | Stresses that a special role in exercising parliamentary oversight falls onto the opposition, in order to actively maintain a rigorous and full-fledged governmental scrutiny; calls to abstain from any attempt to restrict opposition in oversight control functions and provide legislatively guaranteed rights for non-coalition or non-majority members; |
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13.

| 14. | Reiterates that the implementation of agreements with the EU, namely the Association Agreements with Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with Armenia and Partnership and the Cooperation Agreements with Azerbaijan and Belarus, presents an additional source of work for parliamentary oversight, which require particularly intensive scrutiny and control of the government as well as effective coordination between the government, the parliament and the judiciary to deepen the European integration process; |
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14.

| 15. | Voices concerns about a lack of capacities in state institutions on European affairs that severely impacts the effective, efficient and comprehensive implementation of the Association Agreements and leads to a slowing down of European integration efforts; calls on the associated countries to increase efforts in building up a highly motivated administration that can draw on a sufficient amount of resources in order to fully and promptly implement necessary reforms and relevant provisions; |
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15.

| 16. | Stresses that diversity is crucial to the functioning of a parliament that works for all its citizens; calls on the EP and EaP national parliaments to take further steps to ensure a fair representation of women and ethnic minorities among its members; |
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16.

Fostering meaningful exchanges amongst the European Parliament and the parliaments of the EU Member States and of the EaP countries and sharing achievements

| 17. | Welcomes the efforts to support the EaP countries in their efforts to develop sustainable democracy and rules of law; however stresses that in order to be sustainable ownership of these processes which is rooted in the societies is needed; |
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17.

| 18. | Emphasises the provisions in the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly’s Rules of Procedure, as approved in 2011 and amended in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2018, on overseeing the Eastern Partnership policy implementation ,with special regard to articles 17, 21, 22, 25, 26 and 27, and Annex I to the Rules of Procedure, which cover the topics of resolutions, recommendations, written and oral questions, and the committees and working groups; |
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18.

| 19. | Welcomes efforts by the countries of the Eastern Partnership with Association Agreements with the EU - Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, as well as by Armenia in the framework of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with the EU signed in November 2017 - to increase oversight over the implementation of these agreements, which poses additional challenges and opportunities; welcomes the Inter-parliamentary Assembly set up on 5 October 2018 by these three countries, aiming to achieve a more effective parliamentary oversight in this respect and to give an impulse to their joint scrutiny of the implementation carried out by their respective governments on the association agreements and on the EaP policy as a whole; |
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19.

| 20. | Believes that, in regard to the adoption of best practices and the learning from own and others’ shortcomings and experiences as part of the process of democratic consolidation, the parliaments of the EaP countries have the chance to learn from their own experiences and also take on best practices from each other and learn from each other’s solutions to constraints; |
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20.

| 21. | Believes also that the exchanges of best practices amongst the European Parliament, the Parliaments of the EU Member States and the Parliaments of the EaP countries should continue playing a positive role and should be supported; believes also that an increase number of additional formats and exchange programmes between parliamentarians and parliaments’ secretariats on parliamentary administration reform is needed in order to strengthen the capacities and raise awareness among the main stakeholders; calls to reinforce contacts at working level to build strong networks within and between the above-mentioned parliaments for further regional cooperation; |
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21.

| 22. | Commends the efforts of the 15th Eastern Partnership Panel on Governance and Public Administration Reform held in Prague on 7-8 November 2018 in addressing the accountability and organization of public administration and service delivery through citizen-oriented procedures and accessibility of public services; |
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22.

| 23. | Recalls that the EaP countries must act in accordance with their international commitments and respect fundamental human and minority rights in their legislative processes; |
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23.

Enhancing the freedom of thought and independence of the media landscape and the academic world as a key priority for better parliamentary oversight

| 24. | Reiterates the importance of a true free media, the need for independent media and media pluralism to ensure the security of media workers and journalists, and calls on not to limit the opportunities of media sources in order to have equal access of citizens of all ethnics to information and a true academic freedom of expression and thought as key ingredients to any democracy; calls on all Euronest Members to guarantee these freedoms and made them effective, as the media and the academia offer important professional expertise and knowledge to the parliaments providing a key input into parliamentary oversight and objectivity thereof; |
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24.

| 25. | Is concerned that an insufficient freedom of media and academic thought in some EaP countries leaves the parliaments without a well-informed public and scientific opinion, which is a necessary complement to enrich the parliament’s constant scrutiny function; calls on all EaP countries to improve the legal provisions for free and pluralistic media and academic landscapes and made them effective, as in many cases remain still influenced or biased by business and political interests; |
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25.

| 26. | Urges EaP countries to enhance the media environment and to make professional, independent journalism sustainable, since only a healthy media landscape leads to the achievement of the EU neighbourhood policy’s fundamental goals, including democracy, good governance, resilience against external pressures and an effective communication of reform and of the advantages of engaging with the EU; calls upon the EU and the EaP countries to continue creating a media environment where journalists can work free from coercion and repression; |
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26.

| 27. | Stresses the role of civil society organisations in fostering parliamentary oversight, transparency and the democratic process as a whole; calls on the EaP national parliaments to support and engage openly with civil society in all aspects of their work for citizens in order to take account of diverse opinions; |
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27.

| 28. | Highlights the risks of disinformation campaigns, notably by social media, as well as attempts of dissemination of antidemocratic narratives and values, that envisage to discredit public institutions or influence election campaigns; calls for close collaboration and exchange of experiences between EU and EaP countries in this area, adopting a firm common stand without endangering the citizens’ fundamental freedoms; |
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28.

Oversight over the Security Sector as a field of particular attention of parliamentary scrutiny

| 29. | Reminds of the resolution on ‘Security challenges in the Eastern Partnership countries and enhancing the role of the EU in addressing them’ that was adopted by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly during its June 2018 session, which stressed that ‘upholding good governance in law enforcement, security and defence institutions is key to protect the Eastern European Partners from attempts of destabilisation’, and urged the parliaments of the Partners ‘to fully exercise their democratic oversight over law enforcement agencies and military and security services’; underlines that parliamentary oversight should be increased over the security sector; |
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29.

| 30. | Stresses the need for strengthened parliamentary oversight over the different security services in the EaP countries and reiterates the value of parliamentary oversight of the Ministry of the Interior and the newly established Security Services; |
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30.

| 31. | Recalls, in this context, the Final Statement and Recommendations of the sixth meeting of the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee, held in Brussels on 26 April 2018, and in particular point 14 on the launch of an EU funded project on strengthening the parliamentary oversight over the security sector; |
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31.

Increasing human, material and financial resources of the EaP countries’ parliaments

| 32. | Calls for an increase of resources in personnel, material and financing in order to strengthen the overall performance of parliaments of the EaP countries, among other, to ensure that they are fully capable of developing an effective and continuous oversight action over the government, its policies and actions which is characterised by independence and which is backed by a functioning and objective research service; |
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32.

| 33. | Regards cooperation between parliamentary secretariats of the EaP countries, the European Parliament and the parliaments of the EU Member States as a means to achieve more efficient and effective parliamentary oversight through experience and resource sharing; calls, in the area of parliamentary research, to establish such cooperation also in the cases where no research service is yet existent and its establishment requires a particular effort; |
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33.

| 34. | Evaluates a strong, efficient and good cooperation between the Court of Auditors and the Parliaments of the EaP countries, which is based on mutual trust, as a necessary mean to achieve better and greater parliamentary oversight over the budget and budgetary spending; encourages such cooperation to be mainstreamed between the EaP countries. |
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34.

| 35. | Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the European Parliament, the Council, the VP/HR, the Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, the EEAS, the governments and parliaments of the EU Member States and of the Eastern Partnership countries. |
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35.

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| 24.4.2020 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 134/7 |
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24.4.2020

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 134/7

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RESOLUTION

by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly on ‘Facilitating digitalisation to improve efficiency and stimulate economic growth in the EU and Eastern Partnership countries’

(2020/C 134/02)

THE EURONEST PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY,

| — | having regard to the Constituent Act of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly of 3 May 2011 and the Joint Declaration of the Eastern Partnership Summit of 24 November 2017, |
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—

having regard to the Constituent Act of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly of 3 May 2011 and the Joint Declaration of the Eastern Partnership Summit of 24 November 2017,

| — | having regard to the Association Agreements between the EU on one side and Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine on the other side, in particular the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTA), |
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—

having regard to the Association Agreements between the EU on one side and Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine on the other side, in particular the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTA),

| — | having regard to the World Investment Reports published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, |
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—

having regard to the World Investment Reports published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development,

| — | having regard to the Commission and External European Action Service Joint Staff Working Document of 9 June 2017 on ‘Eastern Partnership – 20 Deliverables for 2020 focusing on key priorities and tangible results’, |
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—

having regard to the Commission and External European Action Service Joint Staff Working Document of 9 June 2017 on ‘Eastern Partnership – 20 Deliverables for 2020 focusing on key priorities and tangible results’,

| — | having regard to the European Neighbourhood Policy that came into force in 2014 as part of the European Neighbourhood Instrument for 2014-2020, |
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—

having regard to the European Neighbourhood Policy that came into force in 2014 as part of the European Neighbourhood Instrument for 2014-2020,

| — | having regard to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit on 25 September 2015, |
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—

having regard to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit on 25 September 2015,

| — | having regard to the Joint Statement of the Visegrad Group’s Ministers of Foreign Affairs on the Eastern Partnership, following the results of their meeting in Warsaw on 12 April 2017, providing prospects for EU membership to the Eastern Partnership countries interested in it, |
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—

having regard to the Joint Statement of the Visegrad Group’s Ministers of Foreign Affairs on the Eastern Partnership, following the results of their meeting in Warsaw on 12 April 2017, providing prospects for EU membership to the Eastern Partnership countries interested in it,

| — | having regard to the Second Eastern Partnership Ministerial Meeting on the Digital Economy on 5 October 2017, Tallinn, Estonia, |
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—

having regard to the Second Eastern Partnership Ministerial Meeting on the Digital Economy on 5 October 2017, Tallinn, Estonia,

| — | having regard to the ENI – EU4Digital: supporting digital economy and society in the Eastern Partnership, |
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—

having regard to the ENI – EU4Digital: supporting digital economy and society in the Eastern Partnership,

| — | having regard to the Programming of the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) – 2014–2020 Regional East Strategy Paper (2014–2020) and Multiannual Indicative Programme (2017–2020), |
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—

having regard to the Programming of the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) – 2014–2020 Regional East Strategy Paper (2014–2020) and Multiannual Indicative Programme (2017–2020),

| — | having regard to the Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council Cybersecurity Strategy of the European Union: An Open, Safe and Secure Cyberspace on 7 February 2013, |
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—

having regard to the Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council Cybersecurity Strategy of the European Union: An Open, Safe and Secure Cyberspace on 7 February 2013,

| — | having regard to the Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council Resilience, Deterrence and Defence: Building strong cybersecurity for the EU on 13 September 2017 |
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—

having regard to the Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council Resilience, Deterrence and Defence: Building strong cybersecurity for the EU on 13 September 2017

| A. | whereas the cooperation in the framework of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly aims at bringing about positive effects by developing national systems for electronic trade and electronic logistics, including Digital Transport Corridors, in the Partner Countries through their harmonisation with the EU’s Digital Single Market best practices; |
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A.

whereas the cooperation in the framework of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly aims at bringing about positive effects by developing national systems for electronic trade and electronic logistics, including Digital Transport Corridors, in the Partner Countries through their harmonisation with the EU’s Digital Single Market best practices;

| B. | whereas the enhanced cooperation between the EU and Eastern European Partners in the area of digital economy would provide new opportunities for businesses and citizens, bringing economic growth and prosperity; |
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B.

whereas the enhanced cooperation between the EU and Eastern European Partners in the area of digital economy would provide new opportunities for businesses and citizens, bringing economic growth and prosperity;

| C. | whereas the harmonisation of digital markets within the EU4Digital initiative has been supported by the participants of the Eastern Partnership and the EU to remove existing challenges and barriers to pan-European online services for citizens, State administrations and enterprises; |
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C.

whereas the harmonisation of digital markets within the EU4Digital initiative has been supported by the participants of the Eastern Partnership and the EU to remove existing challenges and barriers to pan-European online services for citizens, State administrations and enterprises;

| D. | whereas the development of a digital economy would contribute to creation of new jobs, increased business efficiency, attracting investments, stimulating trade, modernisation of economies innovations development, and increasing transparency; |
| --- | --- |

D.

whereas the development of a digital economy would contribute to creation of new jobs, increased business efficiency, attracting investments, stimulating trade, modernisation of economies innovations development, and increasing transparency;

| E. | whereas it is widely accepted that facilitating digitalisation can be essential for the short and long-term economic growth of EaP countries and EU Member States, as this approach provides spill-over benefits through technology and skills transfer; |
| --- | --- |

E.

whereas it is widely accepted that facilitating digitalisation can be essential for the short and long-term economic growth of EaP countries and EU Member States, as this approach provides spill-over benefits through technology and skills transfer;

| F. | whereas greenhouse gas emissions linked to digitalisation are rapidly increasing, as large amounts of electricity are needed for processing and storage of big data as well as for manufacturing of computers, screens and smartphones; |
| --- | --- |

F.

whereas greenhouse gas emissions linked to digitalisation are rapidly increasing, as large amounts of electricity are needed for processing and storage of big data as well as for manufacturing of computers, screens and smartphones;

| G. | whereas digital technologies have a substantial negative impact on the environment and human health in terms of waste production and export to poor countries, excessive water consumption and polluting raw material extraction, often in areas in conflict; |
| --- | --- |

G.

whereas digital technologies have a substantial negative impact on the environment and human health in terms of waste production and export to poor countries, excessive water consumption and polluting raw material extraction, often in areas in conflict;

| H. | whereas the ‘20 Deliverables for 2020’ document had stated the importance of digitalisation and set a number of ambitious goals aimed at harmonising digital markets under the ‘Economic development and market opportunities’ pillar; |
| --- | --- |

H.

whereas the ‘20 Deliverables for 2020’ document had stated the importance of digitalisation and set a number of ambitious goals aimed at harmonising digital markets under the ‘Economic development and market opportunities’ pillar;

| I. | whereas the digital economy plays an important role in bilateral dialogues as one of the priority areas for the EU – EaP countries cooperation along with interoperability framework, e-trade, e-health and abolishing roaming fees for partner countries; |
| --- | --- |

I.

whereas the digital economy plays an important role in bilateral dialogues as one of the priority areas for the EU – EaP countries cooperation along with interoperability framework, e-trade, e-health and abolishing roaming fees for partner countries;

| J. | whereas the Eastern Partnership Connect program aims to reduce the digital divide between the Eastern Partnership countries and support the needs of the research and education communities of national research and education networks; |
| --- | --- |

J.

whereas the Eastern Partnership Connect program aims to reduce the digital divide between the Eastern Partnership countries and support the needs of the research and education communities of national research and education networks;

| K. | whereas the cyber-security component is now recognised as an integral part of an effective digitalisation process and public-private partnerships; |
| --- | --- |

K.

whereas the cyber-security component is now recognised as an integral part of an effective digitalisation process and public-private partnerships;

| L. | having regard to the Association Agreement between the EU and Georgia, the Association Agreement between the EU and Moldova, the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine, the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between the EU and Armenia, and the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan; |
| --- | --- |

L.

having regard to the Association Agreement between the EU and Georgia, the Association Agreement between the EU and Moldova, the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine, the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between the EU and Armenia, and the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan;

1.

underlines the strategic importance of facilitating digitalisation, as a process aimed at improving efficiency and stimulating economic growth in the EU and Eastern Partnership countries; highlights that the untapped potential of cooperation between the EU and Eastern European Partners in the area of the digital economy and society could be unlocked by investments in broadband infrastructure, by an harmonisation of legislation with EU norms, and by an accelerated integration of the EU’s Digital Single Market;

2.

recognises that the integration of digital technologies into the daily life, which contributes to the availability of more reliable and helpful information and its processing, attracts significant unrealised potential for economic growth, productivity and social protection;

3.

considers that the potential of digitalisation in combination with the new technologies, which include artificial intelligence, big data, biometrics and distributed ledger technology, can simultaneously improve the provision of public services, management quality and fiscal transparency, which will reduce corrupt transactions; underlines that, at the same time, this facilitation can trigger market volatility, increase vulnerability to cyber-attacks and frauds through excessive concentration and weak legal regulation;

4.

notes that the strategic approaches to digitalisation in different national economies depend on institutional conditions, traditions and power relations; recognises that in terms of digital societies, economy and innovation, there is a gap between the EU and Eastern European partners, which can cause even deeper divides in the future with the growth of a digital industry and Work 4.0; considers that it is necessary to take into account the workers’ rights and to offer the same treatment to all employees, whether they are engaged in the digital economy or not;

5.

сonsiders that, in order to reduce the economic risks of digitalisation, it is necessary to ensure that the national governments implement comprehensive reform programs, to absorb adequate resource endowment and to realise coordinated approach of the EU and EaP countries in regulating the digitalisation processes;

6.

stresses the importance of harmonising the digital markets of the EaP countries with a single digital EU market; asserts the need to form common bases for developing digital markets programs, regulating digital market services and approving innovations in the field of information and communication technologies, telecommunications, digital trust management and security, electronic skills, electronic health and e-commerce;

7.

recognises that the development of uniform rules and standards to ensure the integrity of data, algorithms and platforms by national governments will strengthen the use of digital systems to protect consumers in a variety of ways, including transparent and balanced contracts and privacy rights;

8.

calls on the EaP countries to accelerate the process of harmonising national legislation to improve the protection of personal data by reforming the system and rules of cyber security in accordance with EU legal norms; believes that building consumer confidence, privacy, data protection and protection of intellectual property rights will facilitate the free flow of information, ideas and knowledge;

9.

stresses the need to accompany the deployment of the digital technologies with a set of standards which will contribute to the social and environmental sustainability of ICT value chains, to ensure that action on digitalisation fits with the Sustainable Development Goals and targets of climate, energy and environment policies;

10.

stresses the need for better harmonisation of joint activities and approval of digital trading rules for contracts and supply of digital content, cross-border transfer of online content services, geo-blocking and consumer protection;

11.

emphasises the importance of collaborative cross-border e-identification for creating and verifying eSignatures and eSeals; notes the need to harmonise common rules for legal certainty and technical compatibility for email identifiers and electronic signatures and trust service providers that offer these services within the EaP countries and the EU;

12.

draws attention to the importance of stimulating economic growth by creating jobs and business opportunities, particularly the support for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) as well improving environment for their functioning in the EaP countries; welcomes the results of 64th Eastern Partnership Business Forum, with focus on digital economy and innovations as well as strengthening direct business-to-business relations between the SMEs;

13.

calls on the national governments and private companies to create cross-border innovative hubs taking into account the possibilities for new growth in areas with sufficient digital skills and technological infrastructure that will decrease unemployment and stimulate higher wages;

14.

stresses that the systematic involvement of key actors such as trade unions and employers’ associations and the revitalisation of corporatist structures seem to be a promising strategy for facilitating digitalisation to improve efficiency and stimulate economic growth in the EU and Eastern Partnership countries;

15.

notes that innovations in telecommunications (telegraph, telephone, radio, TV, internet) industry (production facilities and methods), transportation (trains, cars, planes) and health and hygiene (penicillin, X-rays) can not only create markets for products, but also are able to help in solving societal problems;

16.

draws attention to the importance of stimulating digital innovations, creating new formats for cooperation aiming to ensure the development of coordination in this sphere, as well as the participation of state and private sectors in this platform;

17.

stresses that EaP countries are facing big challenges in creating building blocks for a successful digital economy and Industry 4.0; draws attention to the necessity of creating favourable environment for developing an adaptive and creative workforce empowered with future-proof digital skills to drive innovation, as well as a cohesive, collaborative and effective institutional framework for digital transformation; even though e-government projects have made substantial changes in the functioning of countries and their economies, further efforts are required at both regional and national levels in terms of taxation, social systems, labor laws, the modernisation of education, support for innovation, social dialogue and e-business.

18.

notes the need for more intensive development of public-private partnership in the field of cybersecurity (both at the national and international levels), which should be aimed at developing greater trust between key stakeholders, creating effective tools for their interaction, facilitating the rapid exchange of information on cyber incidents and cyber attacks, first of all in the economic sphere;

19.

calls on the EU and EaP countries to consider the specific risks posed by Russian actors involved in cyber-attacks and abuse of native product functionality; stresses the need to adapt cyber security, defence, and deterrence policies on national level through regularly updated action plans with concrete objectives and timelines;

20.

calls on the EU and Eastern European Partners to improve interaction between regions using the potential of the national and regional research and education networks, such as NREN (National Research and Education Network) and GÉANT (pan-European data network for the research and education community).

---

| 24.4.2020 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 134/11 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |

24.4.2020

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 134/11

---

RESOLUTION

by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly on ‘Solidarity and approximation in energy sector – towards a progressive regulatory framework’

(2020/C 134/03)

THE EURONEST PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY,

| — | having regard to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change ratified by the European Union, to which the Eastern Partnership countries are also party; |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change ratified by the European Union, to which the Eastern Partnership countries are also party;

| — | having regard to the Association Agreements between the EU on one side and Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine on the other side, in particular the provisions for cooperation on energy; |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the Association Agreements between the EU on one side and Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine on the other side, in particular the provisions for cooperation on energy;

| — | having regard to the Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the European Union in the Field of Energy signed in 2006 and to the Joint Declaration between the European Union and Azerbaijan on the Southern Gas Corridor signed in 2011; |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the European Union in the Field of Energy signed in 2006 and to the Joint Declaration between the European Union and Azerbaijan on the Southern Gas Corridor signed in 2011;

| — | having regard to the Agreement (Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement – CEPA between the EU on one side and Armenia on the other side) signed on 24 November 2017 and ratified by Armenia, in particular the provisions on energy cooperation; |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the Agreement (Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement – CEPA between the EU on one side and Armenia on the other side) signed on 24 November 2017 and ratified by Armenia, in particular the provisions on energy cooperation;

| — | having regard to the work programme of the EaP platform 3 – Connectivity, energy efficiency, environment and climate change (2018–2019); |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the work programme of the EaP platform 3 – Connectivity, energy efficiency, environment and climate change (2018–2019);

| — | having regard to recently adopted Directive (EU) 2019/692 (1) containing principles of protection of energy security in Europe; |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to recently adopted Directive (EU) 2019/692 (1) containing principles of protection of energy security in Europe;

| A. | whereas global changes in energy production and demand have a significant impact on geopolitics, industrial competitiveness and pose serious challenges to Europe’s security of supply; |
| --- | --- |

A.

whereas global changes in energy production and demand have a significant impact on geopolitics, industrial competitiveness and pose serious challenges to Europe’s security of supply;

| B. | whereas concerns have emerged over climate change, the need to reduce CO2 emissions, growing energy demand and uncertainties surrounding global oil and gas markets, arousing reflection on the part of both producer and consumer countries with regard to devising mutually beneficial strategies for transforming energy sectors into low-emission sectors, finding new balances among various sources of energy, ensuring reliable and safe supply, and energy-efficient consumption; |
| --- | --- |

B.

whereas concerns have emerged over climate change, the need to reduce CO2 emissions, growing energy demand and uncertainties surrounding global oil and gas markets, arousing reflection on the part of both producer and consumer countries with regard to devising mutually beneficial strategies for transforming energy sectors into low-emission sectors, finding new balances among various sources of energy, ensuring reliable and safe supply, and energy-efficient consumption;

| C. | whereas the regional energy policy dialogue under the Eastern Partnership has intensified over the last years, covering convergence of energy markets, diversification of energy supply and transit, development of sustainable energy sources, energy efficiency measures, and infrastructures of common and regional interest; |
| --- | --- |

C.

whereas the regional energy policy dialogue under the Eastern Partnership has intensified over the last years, covering convergence of energy markets, diversification of energy supply and transit, development of sustainable energy sources, energy efficiency measures, and infrastructures of common and regional interest;

| D. | whereas Eastern Partnership countries and the European Union are committed to deliver on issues such as renewables, energy efficiency, climate action and clean energy innovation; |
| --- | --- |

D.

whereas Eastern Partnership countries and the European Union are committed to deliver on issues such as renewables, energy efficiency, climate action and clean energy innovation;

| E. | whereas energy-saving and energy efficiency measures, together with an increased use of renewable sources, contribute to reducing multiple forms of energy dependency, including financial, technological or fuel dependency in the nuclear and fossil fuels sectors, acquisition and ownership of strategic energy infrastructure, and investment in energy projects by non-reliable third parties in EU and Eastern European partner countries; |
| --- | --- |

E.

whereas energy-saving and energy efficiency measures, together with an increased use of renewable sources, contribute to reducing multiple forms of energy dependency, including financial, technological or fuel dependency in the nuclear and fossil fuels sectors, acquisition and ownership of strategic energy infrastructure, and investment in energy projects by non-reliable third parties in EU and Eastern European partner countries;

| F. | whereas Eastern European partner countries have engaged in adopting and implementing policies and regulations for renewables and energy efficiency, including countries with obligations under the Energy Community Treaty; whereas, however, their efforts are hindered by insufficient monitoring and technical capacity and by the lack of investment and instruments for their implementation; |
| --- | --- |

F.

whereas Eastern European partner countries have engaged in adopting and implementing policies and regulations for renewables and energy efficiency, including countries with obligations under the Energy Community Treaty; whereas, however, their efforts are hindered by insufficient monitoring and technical capacity and by the lack of investment and instruments for their implementation;

| G. | whereas Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia joined the Energy Community in 2010, 2011 and 2017 respectively, and were therefore obliged to gradually harmonize their legislation with the EU legislation and international instruments with the aim to attract investments, create an integrated and competitive energy market, enhance security of supply, improve environmental standards; |
| --- | --- |

G.

whereas Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia joined the Energy Community in 2010, 2011 and 2017 respectively, and were therefore obliged to gradually harmonize their legislation with the EU legislation and international instruments with the aim to attract investments, create an integrated and competitive energy market, enhance security of supply, improve environmental standards;

| H. | whereas an important component of the Association Agreements is the cooperation in the field of energy, including the strengthening of energy security, the convergence with the EU energy acquis, the development of cooperation in such areas as electricity, natural gas and oil, infrastructure, renewable energy and energy efficiency; |
| --- | --- |

H.

whereas an important component of the Association Agreements is the cooperation in the field of energy, including the strengthening of energy security, the convergence with the EU energy acquis, the development of cooperation in such areas as electricity, natural gas and oil, infrastructure, renewable energy and energy efficiency;

| I. | whereas incorporation of binding commitments stemming from the membership of the Energy Community into the regulatory framework of the eastern partner countries and progressive reform agenda aligned with the EU Member States shall further promote and speed up their European integration process; |
| --- | --- |

I.

whereas incorporation of binding commitments stemming from the membership of the Energy Community into the regulatory framework of the eastern partner countries and progressive reform agenda aligned with the EU Member States shall further promote and speed up their European integration process;

| J. | whereas the 2017 Eastern Partnership Brussels Summit adopted the revised Eastern Partnership multilateral architecture to contribute to the goals of the Eastern Partnership, particularly by supporting the implementation of the ‘20 Deliverables for 2020’. The revised architecture will take into account the provisions of the EU Global Strategy, as well as the key global policy goals set by the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda, the Paris Climate Agreement and the European Consensus on Development; |
| --- | --- |

J.

whereas the 2017 Eastern Partnership Brussels Summit adopted the revised Eastern Partnership multilateral architecture to contribute to the goals of the Eastern Partnership, particularly by supporting the implementation of the ‘20 Deliverables for 2020’. The revised architecture will take into account the provisions of the EU Global Strategy, as well as the key global policy goals set by the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda, the Paris Climate Agreement and the European Consensus on Development;

| K. | whereas progress has been made in achieving milestones related with the 20 deliverables for 2020 through ratification of the Paris Climate Agreement by all EaP countries, joining the Covenant of Mayors by many new cities, putting in place policies and institutional structures to promote green economy and launching a high-level policy dialogue in several EaP countries on energy efficiency. Challenges remain, however, in setting a comprehensive regulatory framework enabling and facilitating access to finances and other incentive mechanisms and supporting more effective energy policy implementation; |
| --- | --- |

K.

whereas progress has been made in achieving milestones related with the 20 deliverables for 2020 through ratification of the Paris Climate Agreement by all EaP countries, joining the Covenant of Mayors by many new cities, putting in place policies and institutional structures to promote green economy and launching a high-level policy dialogue in several EaP countries on energy efficiency. Challenges remain, however, in setting a comprehensive regulatory framework enabling and facilitating access to finances and other incentive mechanisms and supporting more effective energy policy implementation;

| L. | whereas positive experiences of multilateral cooperation serve as a platform for greater regional market development, defines relevant instruments ensuring that it must be preserved and/or implemented; increased cooperation at regional level is indispensable in leading to deeper market integration at the European level; |
| --- | --- |

L.

whereas positive experiences of multilateral cooperation serve as a platform for greater regional market development, defines relevant instruments ensuring that it must be preserved and/or implemented; increased cooperation at regional level is indispensable in leading to deeper market integration at the European level;

| M. | whereas the Russian Federation uses energy as its foreign affairs tool; whereas enforcing third energy package has been an effective tool to reduce Gazprom’s influence; |
| --- | --- |

M.

whereas the Russian Federation uses energy as its foreign affairs tool; whereas enforcing third energy package has been an effective tool to reduce Gazprom’s influence;

| N. | whereas the EU through implementation of Projects of Common Interests can bring new gas to regions that are dependent on a single source, as well as pipelines to bring new gas to the European market and become less vulnerable to Russia’s gas disruption; |
| --- | --- |

N.

whereas the EU through implementation of Projects of Common Interests can bring new gas to regions that are dependent on a single source, as well as pipelines to bring new gas to the European market and become less vulnerable to Russia’s gas disruption;

| O. | whereas the reverse-flow pipelines have been key ingredients to make the EU and EU’s neighbours more resilient in response to possible gas supply disruptions; |
| --- | --- |

O.

whereas the reverse-flow pipelines have been key ingredients to make the EU and EU’s neighbours more resilient in response to possible gas supply disruptions;

| P. | whereas we observe boost to the development of sufficient LNG infrastructure across the EU, including gas storage facilities; |
| --- | --- |

P.

whereas we observe boost to the development of sufficient LNG infrastructure across the EU, including gas storage facilities;

1.

Welcomes the commitment of EU Member States and of the Eastern European Partners to the Paris Agreement; stresses that energy savings, energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources are the best way to reach the targets of the Paris agreement and increase energy security while decreasing import dependency on energy resources from third countries; reaffirms that the goal of a resilient Energy policy with an ambitious climate policy at its core is to give consumers, including households and businesses, secure, sustainable, competitive and affordable energy; encourages national governments to foster research and innovation by means of attracting investment, which requires a fundamental transformation of energy systems in Eastern European countries;

2.

Calls for preserving, protecting and improving the quality of the environment and promoting the prudent and rational utilization of natural resources, in particular through maintaining energy efficiency and energy savings and the development of new and renewable forms of energy, through coordinated action, combining both legislative acts and policy actions at regional, national and local level;

3.

Welcomes that Eastern European Partner Countries accelerate their cooperative efforts and commit to harmonizing their energy regulations more closely with the EU acquis, thus progressing towards sustainable energy;

4.

Stresses the need to end an energy policy based on fossil fuels and calls on the EaP countries to start the process of phasing out such energy sources and replace them with renewable energies; reiterates that the energy transition should be socially fair, lead to innovation and be based on a futureproof infrastructure and solidarity, while enhancing security of supply; invites the current and future energy pipeline projects to safeguard regional energy security by avoiding dependency on dominant gas and oil supplier; stresses that solidarity and approximation in the energy sector among the EU and EaP countries can be guaranteed only if both new offshore and onshore parts of pipeline infrastructure comply with the EU legislation; in this regards, voices concerns about the North Stream 2 project, which will be a negative example hampering the principle of solidarity and common energy policy; stresses the necessity of a correct transposition of the amended Gas Directive in all Member States and calls European Commission to react firmly against any attempts to circumvent its provisions;

5.

Underlines the importance of energy-saving and energy efficiency measures for the energy security of the EU and particularly EaP Member States; notes that, on average, EaP countries are three times more energy-intensive than the average EU country and stresses that reducing this gap is the single most efficient way to reduce energy dependencies of relevant EaP countries on a third country;

6.

Voices concerns that exclusion of the Nord Stream 2 from the Third energy package will grant Gazprom with undue competitive advantage and further strengthen its market domination;

7.

Invites the EU Member States and the Eastern Partnership Countries to further promote the diversification of energy sources and routes of supply, including through the completion and operationalization of existing energy connecting infrastructure projects and through reverse flow of gas routes, which are one of the best examples of solidarity; welcomes the further development of the legislation and projects related to the LNG terminals, which will inevitably result in progressive regulatory framework as well as in stronger common energy policy;

8.

Encourages the development of gas reverse-flow projects between EaP countries as well as with the EU; supports promoting the availability of alternative sources of gas such as LNG and encourage to develop new ties with LNG suppliers, including the United States, and developing LNG regasification terminals and infrastructure;

9.

Emphasizes that improvements of regulatory frameworks in the field of energy are of the utmost importance since investment decisions in these fields are largely affected by administrative authorizations; recommends that the governments of Eastern European partner countries ensure transparency, consistency and continuity in shaping legal, financial and regulatory frameworks, and continue to fight corruption in order to strengthen investor confidence and share regulatory know-how and best practices;

10.

Stress the need for strengthened cooperation and a common approach between Eastern partners and EU countries regarding nuclear energy safety and security; ask all Eastern partners to fully subscribe to the Fundamental Safety Principles as stipulated in IAEA Safety Standards and be parties to and implement the relevant Conventions, such as the Convention on Nuclear Safety and the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management; underlines that common effort to ensure the highest nuclear safety and radiation protection can be achieved through greater harmonization of standards and through the approximation of technical, regulatory and legal frameworks;

11.

Considers that investments in the field of energy require a stable and predictable long-term framework, and that the challenge EaP countries have to face will be that of instilling confidence in the outcome of the new rules; Notes in that context the recent changes to the Ukraine energy law that still have to be further aligned with Energy Community Treaty rules and their implementation boosted by additional support;

12.

Highlights the interest of developing an open, competitive and integrated energy market in Eastern Europe which could lead to more opportunities for trade and investment, capacity building and joint projects in the field of renewables, smart grids and energy efficiency taking into account the climate objectives; underlines that an integrated energy market should be based on reciprocity and a level playing field with regard to market access and infrastructure, as well as ensuring environmental protection and safety standards;

13.

Stresses that, while energy policy objectives have been set and coordinated at EU level, EU Member States and EaP countries have to choose complementary strategies depending on the structure of their domestic energy markets and the starting point of their energy transition, including exploring the new possibilities and advantages offered by the LNG;

14.

Highlights that natural gas will serve as a bridge fuel for energy transition; stresses that the success of energy market reform and energy transition is dependent on the establishment of a robust commercial, legal and regulatory framework that supports the changes needed, as well as a fair supporting financial framework based on a technology-neutral approach; expresses concerns in this context with the decision of the European Investment Bank to withdraw from financing unabated natural gas projects;

15.

Reiterates the importance of thorough assessment of the current state of play in the energy sector, interactions between market players, state aid rules and the implications of reform options for all stakeholders and the society at large in the process of incorporating and implementing EU energy market principles; notes with concern that the energy markets of the EaP countries remain monopolised by quite few oligarchs; calls on the EaP countries to develop instruments to promote decentralisation strategies which make drawing power from multiple, localised energy networks (local solar plants, small wind farms, battery storage and combined heat-and-power plants) possible; calls on the EU to support this process by best practice sharing;

16.

Hightlights that new threats to security of energy supply posed by cyber-attacks require new measures; underlines that the cyber threat in the EU is amplified by the increased interdependence between the EU Member States’ energy networks; recommends the EU Member States and Eastern European partner countries to develop and implement a cybersecurity strategy for the energy sector, which should aim among others to: strengthening readiness when it comes to responding to cybersecurity threats in the energy sector; coordinating responses in cyber-space; speeding up technological change towards resilient security systems;

17.

Recommends that EU Member States and Eastern European partner countries engage in further exchanges and cooperation in research and policymaking with regard to renewables and energy efficiency, in parallel with tackling the problem of energy poverty, with a special emphasis on low-income and vulnerable households which struggle to cover their energy bills or are unable to keep home adequately warm, and cannot themselves afford to invest in energy efficiency and modernization projects but could participate in demand response if infrastructure and market conditions are in place;

18.

Reiterates that reforms of energy markets are not only about creating a free and highly competitive environment, but also the ability of the state to fulfil its own social protection function to the most vulnerable consumers, who for various reasons are not able to secure their basic energy needs; stresses that energy market reform and energy transition can only be successful if they have broad social support and that citizens are put in their centre; reminds that it is estimated that more than 50 million households in the European Union alone are experiencing energy poverty and calls in this respect for a better use of the EU Energy Poverty Observatory to share information and best practices, to develop a specialist network of stakeholders working on energy poverty, and to respective develop national indicative objectives to reduce energy poverty;

19.

Recognizes the value of the Energy Community Treaty, setting the basis for promotion of a regional energy market between the EU and its eastern neighbors, by the accession of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia and the cooperation of Armenia, (in its capacity as observer), developed on the basis of mutual interests and specificities of individual countries;

20.

Recognizes the importance of the legislative and technical support the EU provides in helping EaP countries to implement reforms for approximating their legislations in line with EU rules and standards; welcomes the work of EU4Energy Initiative, deployed in relation to the six Eastern Partner Countries, to strengthen their legislative and regulatory frameworks and to improve security of supply and connectivity in the region;

21.

Stresses that cross-border infrastructure between the EU and Eastern European countries needs further expansion as it still remains a significant obstacle to the development of a competitive integrated market in the electricity and gas sectors; calls on the EU and EaP countries to strengthen efforts to facilitate timely realization and the full development commissioning of the Southern Gas Corridor, aimed at improving the security and diversity of the energy supply, by bringing natural gas from the Caspian region and possibly from Central Asia to Europe; expresses its support for the fourth list of Projects of Common Interest which contains a number of essential projects to develop a well-interconnected and shock-resilient gas grid for the EU and its neighbourhood;

22.

Reiterates that expanding cross-border infrastructure between the EU and Eastern European countries contributes to an overall increase in regional energy security; calls on enhancing interconnectivity between the EU and EaP countries electricity supply networks, by implementing the synchronous interconnection of Ukrainian and Moldovan networks with the ENTSO-E (European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity) Continental Europe network; recommends that interested Eastern partners are included on a regular basis in the EU Energy Security Stress tests;

23.

Stresses the importance for all EU states strictly follow common rules in particular Directive (EU) 2019/692 and reiterates call to EaP countries to continue legislative developments in accordance to EU regulation in the energy sector;

24.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the President of the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, the European External Action Service, the Governments and Parliaments of the EU Member States and the Eastern European partner countries.

---

(1)  Directive (EU) 2019/692 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 amending Directive 2009/73/EC concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas (OJ L 117, 3.5.2019, p. 1).

1

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| 24.4.2020 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 134/16 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |

24.4.2020

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 134/16

---

RESOLUTION

by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly on innovation in education and education reforms in the EU and Eastern partners’ countries: challenges and opportunities’

(2020/C 134/04)

THE EURONEST PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY,

| — | having regard to Article 2, Article 6 (e) and Article 165, in particular §3, of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU); |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to Article 2, Article 6 (e) and Article 165, in particular §3, of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU);

| — | having regard to Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

| — | having regard to the right to education as defined in Article 14 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the right to education as defined in Article 14 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

| — | having regard to Article 2 of the Protocol to the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, concerning the right to education (ETS No 009), |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to Article 2 of the Protocol to the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, concerning the right to education (ETS No 009),

| — | having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 establishing Erasmus+: the Union Programme for education, training, youth and sport and repealing Decisions No 1719/2006/EC, No 1720/2006/EC and No 1298/2008/EC (1), |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 establishing Erasmus+: the Union Programme for education, training, youth and sport and repealing Decisions No 1719/2006/EC, No 1720/2006/EC and No 1298/2008/EC (1),

| — | having regard to its resolution of 22 March 2016 on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications, work experience and university diplomas within the Bologna process (2), |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to its resolution of 22 March 2016 on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications, work experience and university diplomas within the Bologna process (2),

| — | having regard to the Commission staff working document of 10 June 2016 entitled ‘Analytical underpinning for a New Skills Agenda for Europe’ (SWD(2016)0195), |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the Commission staff working document of 10 June 2016 entitled ‘Analytical underpinning for a New Skills Agenda for Europe’ (SWD(2016)0195),

| — | having regard to the Commission communication of 7 December 2016 on improving and modernising education (COM(2016)0941), |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the Commission communication of 7 December 2016 on improving and modernising education (COM(2016)0941),

| — | having regard to the Commission communication of 22 May 2018 on building a stronger Europe: the role of youth, education and culture policies (COM(2018)0268), |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the Commission communication of 22 May 2018 on building a stronger Europe: the role of youth, education and culture policies (COM(2018)0268),

| — | having regard to the Commission proposal of 17 January 2018 for a Council recommendation on promoting common values, inclusive education, and the European dimension of teaching (COM(2018)0023), |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the Commission proposal of 17 January 2018 for a Council recommendation on promoting common values, inclusive education, and the European dimension of teaching (COM(2018)0023),

| — | having regard to the Commission proposal of 17 January 2018 for a Council recommendation on key competences for lifelong learning (COM(2018)0024), |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the Commission proposal of 17 January 2018 for a Council recommendation on key competences for lifelong learning (COM(2018)0024),

| — | having regard to the Commission communication of 17 January 2018 on the Digital Education Action Plan (COM(2018)0022), |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the Commission communication of 17 January 2018 on the Digital Education Action Plan (COM(2018)0022),

| — | having regard to the joint communication of the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 8 June 2016 entitled ‘Towards an EU strategy for international cultural relations’ (JOIN(2016)0029), and to the European Parliament’s resolution of 5 July 2017 thereon (3), |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the joint communication of the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 8 June 2016 entitled ‘Towards an EU strategy for international cultural relations’ (JOIN(2016)0029), and to the European Parliament’s resolution of 5 July 2017 thereon (3),

| — | having regard to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and in particular to Sustainable Development Goal 4 on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all (A/RES/70/1), |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and in particular to Sustainable Development Goal 4 on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all (A/RES/70/1),

| — | having regard to the Paris Communiqué of 25 May 2018 following the ministerial meeting of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the Paris Communiqué of 25 May 2018 following the ministerial meeting of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA),

| — | having regard to the European Parliament recommendation of 15 November 2017 to the Council, the Commission and the EEAS on the Eastern Partnership (EaP), in the run-up to the November 2017 Summit (4), |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the European Parliament recommendation of 15 November 2017 to the Council, the Commission and the EEAS on the Eastern Partnership (EaP), in the run-up to the November 2017 Summit (4),

| — | having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 12 June 2018 on modernisation of education in the EU (5), |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 12 June 2018 on modernisation of education in the EU (5),

| — | having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 11 December 2018 on education in the digital era: challenges, opportunities and lessons for EU policy design (6), |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 11 December 2018 on education in the digital era: challenges, opportunities and lessons for EU policy design (6),

| — | having regard to the joint staff working document of the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 9 June 2017 on the ‘Eastern Partnership – 20 Deliverables for 2020 – Focusing on key priorities and tangible results’ (SWD(2017)0300), |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the joint staff working document of the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 9 June 2017 on the ‘Eastern Partnership – 20 Deliverables for 2020 – Focusing on key priorities and tangible results’ (SWD(2017)0300),

| — | having regard to the Joint Declaration of the Eastern Partnership Summit held in Brussels on 24 November 2017, |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the Joint Declaration of the Eastern Partnership Summit held in Brussels on 24 November 2017,

| A. | whereas the right to education is a fundamental human right; |
| --- | --- |

A.

whereas the right to education is a fundamental human right;

| B. | whereas in line with Article 6(e) of the TFEU, ‘competence in the field of education and training lies with the Member States, but the European Union has a vital supportive role to play in terms of supporting Member States in their reform efforts, setting challenges and goals and promoting and exchanging best practices’ (7); |
| --- | --- |

B.

whereas in line with Article 6(e) of the TFEU, ‘competence in the field of education and training lies with the Member States, but the European Union has a vital supportive role to play in terms of supporting Member States in their reform efforts, setting challenges and goals and promoting and exchanging best practices’ (7);

| C. | whereas the open method of coordination as applied to education allows Member States to create and implement a common strategy for education and training, also including the on-line platform ET 2020 (Education and Training 2020); whereas a similar cooperation structure could be established between the EU Member States and EaP countries, starting with a regular exchange of best practices; |
| --- | --- |

C.

whereas the open method of coordination as applied to education allows Member States to create and implement a common strategy for education and training, also including the on-line platform ET 2020 (Education and Training 2020); whereas a similar cooperation structure could be established between the EU Member States and EaP countries, starting with a regular exchange of best practices;

| D. | whereas the ability of education systems to meet societal, economic and personal needs depends on their quality, accessibility, efficiency, and diversity and equality measures, as well as on the availability of adequate human, financial and material resources; |
| --- | --- |

D.

whereas the ability of education systems to meet societal, economic and personal needs depends on their quality, accessibility, efficiency, and diversity and equality measures, as well as on the availability of adequate human, financial and material resources;

| E. | whereas achieving equal opportunities is an important function of education, and access to education must therefore be made non-discriminatory; whereas to this end, more efforts are needed to ensure that everyone, with particular regard to disadvantaged groups, enjoys the same chances of accessing and completing education and training and of acquiring skills at all levels; |
| --- | --- |

E.

whereas achieving equal opportunities is an important function of education, and access to education must therefore be made non-discriminatory; whereas to this end, more efforts are needed to ensure that everyone, with particular regard to disadvantaged groups, enjoys the same chances of accessing and completing education and training and of acquiring skills at all levels;

| F. | whereas ensuring access to quality early childhood education and care services for all children is key to enabling them to enjoy a positive start in life and on educational paths; |
| --- | --- |

F.

whereas ensuring access to quality early childhood education and care services for all children is key to enabling them to enjoy a positive start in life and on educational paths;

| G. | whereas education has been negatively affected by transformation processes and the economic and financial crisis; whereas public funding for education has been passively reduced in many countries; whereas there is a preoccupying trend to privatisation of education which violates the principle of equality of access to education; whereas increased public financial support for education, including for teachers and their working conditions, as well as for research, is crucial for ensuring free, inclusive and accessible public education; |
| --- | --- |

G.

whereas education has been negatively affected by transformation processes and the economic and financial crisis; whereas public funding for education has been passively reduced in many countries; whereas there is a preoccupying trend to privatisation of education which violates the principle of equality of access to education; whereas increased public financial support for education, including for teachers and their working conditions, as well as for research, is crucial for ensuring free, inclusive and accessible public education;

| H. | whereas the modernisation of all stages of the education system involves a large number of sectors and requires many steps, including curriculum design and delivery, the adoption or adaptation of legislative and regulatory frameworks for quality assurance to allow for new teaching and learning methods, the prioritisation of innovation in funding mechanisms and the strengthening of education governance; |
| --- | --- |

H.

whereas the modernisation of all stages of the education system involves a large number of sectors and requires many steps, including curriculum design and delivery, the adoption or adaptation of legislative and regulatory frameworks for quality assurance to allow for new teaching and learning methods, the prioritisation of innovation in funding mechanisms and the strengthening of education governance;

| I. | whereas digital skills are essential for social participation and for the successful professional realisation, as digital transformation is changing the public and political dialog and the job market and creating a need for new skill sets; whereas it is therefore important to ensure that all schools are equipped with computers and have access to internet connections; |
| --- | --- |

I.

whereas digital skills are essential for social participation and for the successful professional realisation, as digital transformation is changing the public and political dialog and the job market and creating a need for new skill sets; whereas it is therefore important to ensure that all schools are equipped with computers and have access to internet connections;

| J. | whereas basic education in cyber hygiene, cyber safety, data protection, copyright, media and internet literacy must be age- and development-oriented in order to help children become critical learners, active citizens, responsible internet users and shapers of a democratic digital society, make informed decisions, and be aware of and able to counter the risks associated with the internet, such as online disinformation, harassment and personal data breaches; whereas cybersecurity-related teaching programmes should be introduced in academic and vocational training curricula; |
| --- | --- |

J.

whereas basic education in cyber hygiene, cyber safety, data protection, copyright, media and internet literacy must be age- and development-oriented in order to help children become critical learners, active citizens, responsible internet users and shapers of a democratic digital society, make informed decisions, and be aware of and able to counter the risks associated with the internet, such as online disinformation, harassment and personal data breaches; whereas cybersecurity-related teaching programmes should be introduced in academic and vocational training curricula;

| K. | whereas education poverty is a challenge faced by the EU and the EaP countries; |
| --- | --- |

K.

whereas education poverty is a challenge faced by the EU and the EaP countries;

| L. | whereas in order to better understand and manage the ecological, social and economic problems of our planet, it is imperative that people develop global awareness skills, especially in relation to global citizenship, intercultural dialogue and sustainable development; |
| --- | --- |

L.

whereas in order to better understand and manage the ecological, social and economic problems of our planet, it is imperative that people develop global awareness skills, especially in relation to global citizenship, intercultural dialogue and sustainable development;

| M. | whereas digitalisation and the creation of shared educational platforms are helping to modernise education systems, especially by making it easier to offer distance learning and blended learning courses; whereas data protection issues also arise from such developments; |
| --- | --- |

M.

whereas digitalisation and the creation of shared educational platforms are helping to modernise education systems, especially by making it easier to offer distance learning and blended learning courses; whereas data protection issues also arise from such developments;

| N. | whereas lifelong learning should be encouraged, for example through synergies between formal and informal types of learning and through quality vocational education and training systems; |
| --- | --- |

N.

whereas lifelong learning should be encouraged, for example through synergies between formal and informal types of learning and through quality vocational education and training systems;

| O. | whereas all EU and EaP countries are members of the European Higher Education Area; |
| --- | --- |

O.

whereas all EU and EaP countries are members of the European Higher Education Area;

| P. | whereas education systems in the EaP countries are still marked by their Soviet heritage and those countries therefore have to contend with specific challenges in the educational sphere that do not exist in the EU; |
| --- | --- |

P.

whereas education systems in the EaP countries are still marked by their Soviet heritage and those countries therefore have to contend with specific challenges in the educational sphere that do not exist in the EU;

| Q. | whereas all bilateral agreements between the EU and the EaP countries contain a chapter dedicated to education, training and youth; whereas one of the aims of platform 4 of the EaP policy is to increase the participation of the EaP countries in EU programmes, inter alia, in the fields of education, research and innovation, to foster cooperation between the EU and the education and training authorities, higher education institutions, schools and research institutions of the EaP countries, and to enhance knowledge and exchange good practices in those fields; whereas encouraging the modernisation, internationalisation, digitalisation (e-learning) and improvements in the quality of higher education and vocational education and training (VET) systems is listed as one of the priorities of the 2018–2019 work programme of platform 4’s panel on education, culture and youth; |
| --- | --- |

Q.

whereas all bilateral agreements between the EU and the EaP countries contain a chapter dedicated to education, training and youth; whereas one of the aims of platform 4 of the EaP policy is to increase the participation of the EaP countries in EU programmes, inter alia, in the fields of education, research and innovation, to foster cooperation between the EU and the education and training authorities, higher education institutions, schools and research institutions of the EaP countries, and to enhance knowledge and exchange good practices in those fields; whereas encouraging the modernisation, internationalisation, digitalisation (e-learning) and improvements in the quality of higher education and vocational education and training (VET) systems is listed as one of the priorities of the 2018–2019 work programme of platform 4’s panel on education, culture and youth;

| R. | whereas several EU programmes in the field of education and innovation are open to, or specifically designed for, the EaP countries, such as Erasmus+, eTwinning Plus, EaP connect, EU4Innovation, Creative Europe, COSME and Horizon 2020 and their successors for 2021–2027; whereas such programmes may significantly help in coping with the social and economic changes or the main challenges facing Europe until the end of this decade, inter alia, the fight against youth unemployment, greater integration of Europe’s societies, the development of social capital of young people, the creation and development of efficiently functioning systems of education and training, as well as the social inclusion of persons from disadvantaged environments; |
| --- | --- |

R.

whereas several EU programmes in the field of education and innovation are open to, or specifically designed for, the EaP countries, such as Erasmus+, eTwinning Plus, EaP connect, EU4Innovation, Creative Europe, COSME and Horizon 2020 and their successors for 2021–2027; whereas such programmes may significantly help in coping with the social and economic changes or the main challenges facing Europe until the end of this decade, inter alia, the fight against youth unemployment, greater integration of Europe’s societies, the development of social capital of young people, the creation and development of efficiently functioning systems of education and training, as well as the social inclusion of persons from disadvantaged environments;

| S. | whereas the need for deeper and more effective cooperation between institutions of non-formal and formal education, to employ young people and incorporate them in activities of a civil society was expressed at the Eastern Partnership Youth Forum in Kaunas; |
| --- | --- |

S.

whereas the need for deeper and more effective cooperation between institutions of non-formal and formal education, to employ young people and incorporate them in activities of a civil society was expressed at the Eastern Partnership Youth Forum in Kaunas;

| T. | whereas gender inequality in education hinders both personal development and employment and affects numerous socio-cultural fields; whereas gender equality is a core principle of the European Union and of the EaP policy enshrined in its treaties and should be reflected in all EU policies, not least in the sphere of education and culture; whereas education is a powerful instrument for overcoming gender inequality; |
| --- | --- |

T.

whereas gender inequality in education hinders both personal development and employment and affects numerous socio-cultural fields; whereas gender equality is a core principle of the European Union and of the EaP policy enshrined in its treaties and should be reflected in all EU policies, not least in the sphere of education and culture; whereas education is a powerful instrument for overcoming gender inequality;

| U. | whereas youth work and non-formal education would enhance incorporation and activation of young people affected by social and economic exclusion |
| --- | --- |

U.

whereas youth work and non-formal education would enhance incorporation and activation of young people affected by social and economic exclusion

| V. | whereas there are still limitations on education in minority languages and there is limited access to education in poor areas in some of the EaP countries; |
| --- | --- |

V.

whereas there are still limitations on education in minority languages and there is limited access to education in poor areas in some of the EaP countries;

| W. | whereas EaP countries have been rapidly depopulating on the course of the last decade, and young people are prone to leave their home countries and regions in search for better education and decent jobs; |
| --- | --- |

W.

whereas EaP countries have been rapidly depopulating on the course of the last decade, and young people are prone to leave their home countries and regions in search for better education and decent jobs;

General considerations

| 1. | Underlines that ensuring equal access to quality inclusive education is the key to developing prosperous societies and to achieving continued social cohesion, combating poverty, social exclusion and gender stereotypes; calls on the EU Member States and EaP countries to make public investment in education at all levels, including by providing adequate financial resources, a priority in their policies; |
| --- | --- |

1.

| 2. | Stresses that new ways of learning are needed to meet the requirements of increasingly mobile and digital societies; takes the view that education should not only be delivered by means of lectures, theoretical learning and passive learning, but should also involve experiential and participatory learning under the supervision or participation of teachers and be related to the chosen vocation of pupils and students; |
| --- | --- |

2.

| 3. | Stresses that countries must transform all levels of their education and training systems to make full use of the opportunities offered by information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the natural skills of children, and to help children develop the skills and abilities they need to meet the demands of the societies and labour markets of the future; |
| --- | --- |

3.

| 4. | Stresses that appropriate funding is required to reform education systems and ensure that innovative and high-quality education is made available not only in big cities, but also in rural areas with little access; |
| --- | --- |

4.

| 5. | Emphasises that in order to ensure the accessibility and quality of education, it is necessary to provide not only an increase funds for improving the infrastructure, raising the salaries of teachers and researchers, but also ensuring a transparent distribution of financial support between educational and research institutions; |
| --- | --- |

5.

| 6. | Stresses that inclusiveness, equal access and innovation should be the leading principles for education and training in the digital age; believes that digital technologies should not reinforce existing inequalities, but should instead be used to close the digital divide between pupils, students and learners from different socioeconomic backgrounds and different regions of the EU and the EaP countries; |
| --- | --- |

6.

| 7. | Stresses that while it is essential to increase learners’ basic and advanced digital skills, other skills, including social and civic skills and ethical awareness, should nevertheless continue to be a key part of education systems; believes that it is also important to teach people the personal and civic skills that help them to live and work together; highlights, furthermore, the paramount importance of prioritising the development of critical, constructive and innovative thinking, as well as media literacy in all education systems; underlines the importance of education in literature, history and developing cultural competences; |
| --- | --- |

7.

| 8. | Emphasises the positive impact of cultural diversity and multilingualism in schools on pupils’ linguistic and cognitive development, as well as on the promotion of intercultural awareness, respect and pluralism; |
| --- | --- |

8.

| 9. | Underlines the essential role of formal and non-formal education in advancing the core understanding and respect for the human rights, fundamental freedoms, dignity and cultural diversity, in preventing and eradicating all forms of intolerance, discrimination, extremism, and hate speeches, and in combatting antisemitism, antigypsyism, homophobia and denigration of ethnic and cultural groups; calls on EU Member States and Eastern Partner countries to ensure that all teachers are effectively trained to shape attitudes and behavioural patterns based on the principles of non-discrimination, mutual respect and tolerance; |
| --- | --- |

9.

| 10. | Stresses that the adaptation of educational institutions to new technologies and innovative pedagogical approaches should never be seen as an end in itself, but rather as a tool for improving the quality and inclusivity of education; |
| --- | --- |

10.

| 11. | Stresses that sexual education is a necessary part of the school curriculum to meet the WHO standards for Europe to educate and protect young people; affirms that such education should include topics like sexual expression, relationships and affirmative consent, and information about negative outcomes or conditions such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV, unintended pregnancy, sexual violence and harmful practices such as grooming and female genital mutilation; |
| --- | --- |

11.

| 12. | Highlights the potential of developing e-evaluation tools for education systems and of using digital solutions, such as analytics and creative tests, more widely to enable teachers to adopt a learner-centred approach; |
| --- | --- |

12.

| 13. | Highlights the pivotal role of teachers and lecturers in any education system and the need to encourage them to innovate by remunerating them appropriately, providing them with adequate training opportunities and establishing reward systems; stresses the instrumental role of peer-to-peer activities and exchanges of best practices in this field; |
| --- | --- |

13.

| 14. | Stresses that schools cannot be expected to transform the education system unaided and need support from other stakeholders; |
| --- | --- |

14.

| 15. | Deplores the fact that on average, the number of young people not in education, employment or training is much higher in the EaP countries than in the EU; highlights, therefore, the need to profoundly reform the curricula and the general approach to education, including life-long learning, in the EaP countries in order to meet the needs of the labour market; |
| --- | --- |

15.

| 16. | Welcomes, in this respect, the strong focus placed on young people and education at the 2017 Eastern Partnership Summit and in the 2020 deliverables, and the increase in support in these fields offered by the EU; welcomes, furthermore, the opening of the first Eastern Partnership European School in Tbilisi in September 2018; |
| --- | --- |

16.

| 17. | Recommends to counter the trend of depopulation of EaP countries by (a) strengthening the connection between education systems reform and labour markets demands; (b) investing in programmes favouring youth (with a major focus on rural youth) and social entrepreneurship; and (c) creating a new programme for young professionals modelled on Erasmus+ (EU4Young Professionals); |
| --- | --- |

17.

| 18. | Calls on the EU Member States and EaP countries to recognise education as investment, and to provide greater public funding for early childhood education and care, public schools, vocational training, lifelong learning, public universities and research; |
| --- | --- |

18.

Recommendations

| 19. | Recommends that partnerships between governments, non-profit organisations, educational institutions and businesses are established so as to understand the existing gaps and develop ways to tackle them; reiterates the call of the European Parliament for the establishment of the European Child Guarantee as a main tool to fight child poverty and social exclusions that should contribute to children’s equal access to free education, free childcare, free healthcare, decent housing and adequate nutrition; |
| --- | --- |

19.

| 20. | Calls on the responsible bodies of the EaP countries and the EU to apply approaches in assessing the quality of education aimed primarily at increasing motivation, and not towards punishment; |
| --- | --- |

20.

| 21. | Calls on the Member States and EaP countries to fight gender stereotypes in education in order to ensure that women have the same opportunities and freedom of choice in terms of the career they wish to pursue; is concerned, in this context, at the stereotypes that persist in learning materials in some countries and teachers’ differing behavioural expectations as between girls and boys; stresses that education systems need to take into account the needs of people suffering from discrimination; |
| --- | --- |

21.

| 22. | Encourages an increase in support for training on global awareness skills and new educational practices such as deeper learning, the evolution of teacher-student relationships and new learning practices such as STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics); |
| --- | --- |

22.

| 23. | Recommends that an agenda item dedicated to educational reforms and the monitoring of the implementation of the relevant clauses of bilateral agreements be included in all inter-parliamentary meetings between the European Parliament and the parliaments of the EaP countries; |
| --- | --- |

23.

| 24. | Calls on EU, Member States and Eastern Partner countries to increase efforts to improve media literacy and civic education through culture and schooling from an early age in order to allow citizens to identify and effectively contextualize misinformation and biased reporting; encourages Member States and Eastern Partner countries to include specific courses or trainings on media literacy in their school curricula, and to develop information campaigns addressing the segments of the population that are especially subject and/or vulnerable to disinformation; |
| --- | --- |

24.

| 25. | Invites the Commission, primarily through the EU delegations, to proactively distribute to educational establishments in the EaP countries an overview of all available resources (including online resources such as School Education Gateway) and educational funding for which they, and especially the teachers who work for them, might be eligible; recommends establishing one clearly identified central point of contact for education in every EU delegation to an EaP country; |
| --- | --- |

25.

| 26. | Echoes the call made in the European Parliament resolution of 11 December 2018 on education in the digital era for the formulation of recommendations for a minimum level of digital competence to be acquired by students during their studies; takes the view that a specific ICT module, for example based on the PISA ICT module, could be introduced both in the EU Member States and the EaP countries to ensure that educational establishments in all of those countries aim for the same minimum level of digital competence; |
| --- | --- |

26.

| 27. | Calls for the Commission to work with the EaP countries to open more Eastern Partnership European Schools and encourage the EaP countries to fulfil the pre-conditions for the establishment of such schools; |
| --- | --- |

27.

| 28. | Welcomes the increase in funding made available for digital skills across the next generation of multiannual financial framework (MFF) programmes, but nevertheless insists that the Commission needs to promote synergies across and ensure coordination between MFF programmes, including Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, the European Social Fund, InvestEU and Digital Europe, so as to maximise the effectiveness of funding for the development of high-quality digital skills; |
| --- | --- |

28.

| 29. | Encourages future teachers to gain practical teaching experience abroad through the Erasmus+ scheme, for example by applying to take part in the International Credit Mobility programme; calls for a specific focus in Erasmus 2021–2027 on primary and secondary school teachers from EaP countries to be allowed to participate in mobility schemes in EU schools; |
| --- | --- |

29.

| 30. | Encourages school staff, i.e. teachers, librarians, heads of school, from EaP countries to engage their schools in e-Twinning, part of the Erasmus programme for collaboration, development of projects, sharing and becoming part of a learning community; |
| --- | --- |

30.

| 31. | Encourages the Commission to work with the EaP countries to produce – possibly as part of the work carried out by the dedicated EaP platform – an overview of the reforms of all stages of the education system that have been carried out in the EaP countries; |
| --- | --- |

31.

| 32. | Recommends to the EaP countries an increase in dual education streams and the inclusion in the students’ programme of practical courses run by companies that correspond to the profile of the faculties they study in. |
| --- | --- |

32.

---

(1)  OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 50.

(2)  OJ C 193, 31.5.2016, p. 17.

(3)  OJ C 334, 19.9.2018, p. 112.

(4)  OJ C 356, 4.10.2018, p. 130.

(5)  Texts adopted, PA_TA(2018)0247.

(6)  Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0485.

(7)  Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0247.

---

| 24.4.2020 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 134/22 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |

24.4.2020

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 134/22

---

RESOLUTION

by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly on the future of the Trio Plus Strategy 2030: building a future of Eastern Partnership

(2020/C 134/05)

THE EURONEST PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY,

| — | having regard to the Constituent Act of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly of 3 May 2011 and the Joint Declaration of the Eastern Partnership Summit of 24 November 2017; |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the Constituent Act of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly of 3 May 2011 and the Joint Declaration of the Eastern Partnership Summit of 24 November 2017;

| — | having regard to the Association Agreements between the EU on one side and Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine on the other side, in particular the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTA); |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the Association Agreements between the EU on one side and Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine on the other side, in particular the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTA);

| — | having regard to the European Commission and External European Action Service Joint Staff Working Document of 9 June 2017 on ‘Eastern Partnership – 20 Deliverables for 2020 focusing on key priorities and tangible results’, |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to the European Commission and External European Action Service Joint Staff Working Document of 9 June 2017 on ‘Eastern Partnership – 20 Deliverables for 2020 focusing on key priorities and tangible results’,

| — | having regard to Article 9.3 of the Rules of procedure; |
| --- | --- |

—

having regard to Article 9.3 of the Rules of procedure;

| A. | whereas the EU has proved its enormous transformative power through the Enlargement Policy, as confirmed by the success of the Central and Eastern European countries in their development from post-totalitarian regulated economies to European style democracies via the process of EU integration; |
| --- | --- |

A.

whereas the EU has proved its enormous transformative power through the Enlargement Policy, as confirmed by the success of the Central and Eastern European countries in their development from post-totalitarian regulated economies to European style democracies via the process of EU integration;

| B. | whereas significant progress in reforms and harmonisation of national legislations with EU standards in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova has already been achieved; |
| --- | --- |

B.

whereas significant progress in reforms and harmonisation of national legislations with EU standards in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova has already been achieved;

| C. | whereas this transformative power by enlargement shall be used in the Western Balkans and in Eastern Partnership countries, willing to join the EU; |
| --- | --- |

C.

whereas this transformative power by enlargement shall be used in the Western Balkans and in Eastern Partnership countries, willing to join the EU;

| D. | whereas the process of EU enlargement has potential benefits to Eastern Partnership countries and would be beneficial for the EU, because, as the EU Commissioner J. Hahn has said, ‘We have to become smarter at exporting stability. If not, Europe will keep importing instability’; |
| --- | --- |

D.

whereas the process of EU enlargement has potential benefits to Eastern Partnership countries and would be beneficial for the EU, because, as the EU Commissioner J. Hahn has said, ‘We have to become smarter at exporting stability. If not, Europe will keep importing instability’;

| E. | whereas this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Eastern Partnership, which has proven to be effective tool for providing tailored support based on the more for more and less for less principles linked with the implementation of reforms; |
| --- | --- |

E.

whereas this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Eastern Partnership, which has proven to be effective tool for providing tailored support based on the more for more and less for less principles linked with the implementation of reforms;

| F. | whereas the Eastern Partnership policy is a tailor-made concept of cooperation for all six countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine and their further progress on the European path is dependent on compliance with European values and standards, to which these countries have committed; |
| --- | --- |

F.

whereas the Eastern Partnership policy is a tailor-made concept of cooperation for all six countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine and their further progress on the European path is dependent on compliance with European values and standards, to which these countries have committed;

| G. | whereas signing of CEPA and ratification of it by the Armenian Parliament in April 2018 is considered an evidence of an alternative to gain an enhanced and strategically reinforced partnership between Armenia and EU; |
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G.

whereas signing of CEPA and ratification of it by the Armenian Parliament in April 2018 is considered an evidence of an alternative to gain an enhanced and strategically reinforced partnership between Armenia and EU;

| H. | whereas according to the International IDEA`s report The Global State of Democracy 2019: ‘Armenia is the only country in Europe to transition from being a hybrid regime in 2017 to a democracy in 2018’; |
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H.

whereas according to the International IDEA`s report The Global State of Democracy 2019: ‘Armenia is the only country in Europe to transition from being a hybrid regime in 2017 to a democracy in 2018’;

| I. | whereas the Eastern Partnership countries, especially the ones demonstrating willingness to join the EU, continue to face aggressive hybrid threats by the Kremlin to keep them in the sphere of its influence and to impede the process of EU integration by not allowing them to become successful European countries; |
| --- | --- |

I.

whereas the Eastern Partnership countries, especially the ones demonstrating willingness to join the EU, continue to face aggressive hybrid threats by the Kremlin to keep them in the sphere of its influence and to impede the process of EU integration by not allowing them to become successful European countries;

| J. | whereas there are enormous challenges to international security environment and human rights dimension triggered by dynamic changing international system; |
| --- | --- |

J.

whereas there are enormous challenges to international security environment and human rights dimension triggered by dynamic changing international system;

1.

Underlines soft power instruments of the Eastern Partnership, such as introduction of a visa-free travel, to sustain political motivation for reforms and notes the progress made by its countries on the implementation of the 20 Deliverables for 2020 while the new guidelines are now being discussed for the next decade to 2030;

2.

Notes the success of Eastern Partnership initiative of supporting EU associated countries in letting them move more rapidly with reform implementation and deeper political and economic integration with the EU;

3.

Emphasises that today we find ourselves at a crucial juncture where we should add new additional long-term instruments in our strategy to help more advanced Eastern Partnership countries to keep their motivation and momentum for reforms for the next decade to 2030 and stresses that EU needs to upgrade and reform its policy instruments in order to match the progress done by our Eastern Partners;

4.

Asks to initiate a discussion on forward-looking Eastern Partnership strategic agenda for the next decade to move forward in promoting a more ambitious use of differentiation, more for more and less for less principles, and to present a New Flagship Initiative – the Trio Plus Strategy 2030;

5.

Suggests that the Trio Plus Strategy 2030 would establish the European Trio Process with deeper integration instruments for the EU and its associated countries, as it was done by the Berlin Process initiated in 2014, which aimed to strengthen the EU leadership and a coalition of like-minded EU Member States for the integration of Western Balkan countries into the EU; furthermore suggests an active EU open door policy for those EaP countries that achieve a significant and valuable progress;

6.

Urges the Trio Plus Strategy 2030 will be an ambitious European geopolitical instrument employing a new generation of institutions and policies, sustainable trade and stabilisation agreements and their instruments (EU Support Group for the Trio, Trio Investment Platform, European Green Deal, Digital Europe, Promoting European Way of Life and European Democracy, ACAAs, Connectivity Agenda, TEN, Horizon 2020, Conference of the Future of Europe, and other EU initiatives);

7.

Stresses that further setbacks to democracy, reforms and the rule of law and the erosion of a European orientation in Trio countries will jeopardise the Trio Plus Strategy 2030, as described above;

8.

Underlines that the Trio Plus Strategy 2030 should be complementary to the Eastern Partnership instruments, will not aim at replacing the existing initiatives in this area and will contribute to the discussion on how we can make the Eastern Partnership policy more effective;

9.

Suggests more comprehensive and enlarged strategic format Trio + 1 with the inclusion of Armenia – based on the principles and positions reaffirmed in the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership agreement between Armenia and the European Union;

10.

Notes that the success of implementing EU integration reforms by the EU associated Trio countries will create new incentives for the remaining Eastern Partnership countries to choose an ambitious path of European integration;

11.

Emphasises that the Trio Plus Strategy 2030, supported by the European Trio Process, will have a major positive transformative impact on opinion of Russia’s ordinary people in helping them to strive for an open democratic European country;

12.

Calls for the urgent development of joint mechanisms to withstand Kremlin hybrid threats undermining EU unity and security in those EaP countries striving for approximation with the EU;

13.

Notes that the success of the Eastern Partnership with inclusion of the European Trio Process and the Trio Plus Strategy 2030 will be crucial for both the Eastern Neighbourhood countries and the EU, because it is the best input for the creation of a Europe that is ‘whole, free and at peace’, and that this success will eradicate the dividing lines on the European continent, which still separate Eastern Partnership countries from the rest of the EU;

14.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the President of the European Parliament, the European Council, the European Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, the European External Action Service, the governments and parliaments of the EU Member States and the Eastern European partner countries.

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