Communication from the Commission to the Council on the Commission proposals for Action Plans under the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP)
Date: 2004-12-10
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU relations, Mediterranean third countries, Ukraine, action programme, aid policy, common foreign and security policy, cooperation policy

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 9.12.2004 
COM(2004) 795 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 
TO THE COUNCIL 

ON THE COMMISSION PROPOSALS FOR ACTION PLANS UNDER THE  
EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY (ENP) 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
  
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 
TO THE COUNCIL 

ON THE COMMISSION PROPOSALS FOR ACTION PLANS UNDER THE  
EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY (ENP) 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The ENP Strategy Paper of May 20041 set out the Commission’s approach for taking forward 
work  European  Neighbourhood  Policy  over  the  coming  years.  It  was  based  on  more  than  a 
year  of  intensive  work  following  the  Commission’s  Communication  “Wider  Europe  – 
Neighbourhood: A new framework for relations with our Eastern and Southern Neighbours2”. 
Consultations took place with Member States and the Secretary General/High Representative, 
as  well  as  partner  countries.  The  2004  Strategy  Paper  defined  the  objectives  and  principles, 
the geographical scope, and the methods to be used for implementing the ENP. The Council 
“welcomed the Commission’s proposal to pursue the ENP through action plans to be agreed 
jointly with the neighbouring countries concerned” 3.  

The Commission has since completed consultations on a first set of draft Action Plans and is 
transmitting  these  to  the  Council  for  approval  and  for  subsequent  endorsement  by  the 
Association or Cooperation Councils with each of the partners concerned.  

The purpose of this Communication is to situate the Action Plans within the policy framework 
of the ENP, particularly in the context of current political developments notably in Ukraine.  

2. 

MAIN FEATURES OF ENP 

ENP offers a means to strengthen relations between the EU and its partners, which is distinct 
from  the  possibilities  available  to  European  countries  under  Article  49  of  the  Treaty  on 
European Union. It is addressed to partners neighbouring the Union which are not involved in 
the present accession or pre-accession process. 

The objective of ENP is to share the benefits of enlargement with neighbouring countries in 
strengthening  stability,  security  and  well-being  for  all.  By  drawing  countries  into  an 
increasingly  close  relationship  with  the  EU,  it  can  create  a  ‘ring  of  friends’  and  prevent 
emergence of new dividing lines. It offers countries the chance to participate in various EU 
activities,  through  greater  cooperation  on  political,  security  and  economic  issues  as  well  as 
culture  and  education.  Through  this  deeper  engagement  with  its  partners,  the  EU  seeks  to 
promote partners’ commitment to common values such as the rule of law, good governance, 
respect for human rights, and the promotion of good neighbourly relations.  

The  ENP  will  further  intensify  cooperation  with  partner  countries  in  a  broad  range  of  other 
areas including political dialogue and cooperation, trade, aspects of internal market policies, 

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2 
3 

COM(2004)373 final, 12.5.2004 
COM(2003)104 final, 11.3.2003 
GAER Council conclusions of 14 June 2004 

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energy, transport, information society, environment and research and innovation, social policy 
and people-to-people contacts. 

ENP  is  fully  in  accordance  with  the  goals  of  the  European  Security  Strategy  (endorsed  by 
European  Council  of  December  2003)  which  are  to:  "make  a  particular  contribution  to 
stability  and  good  governance  in  our  immediate  neighbourhood  [and]  to  promote  a  ring  of 
well  governed  countries  to  the  East  of  the  European  Union  and  on  the  borders  of  the 
Mediterranean with whom we can enjoy close and cooperative relations". 

ENP is also a valuable complement to Barcelona process in that it will allow each partner to 
develop closer links with EU based on its particular needs and capacities. 

3. 

ACTION PLANS 

Action Plans constitute an initial step towards realising the vision set out above. In line with 
the conclusions of the Council, the present proposals for or Action Plans are:4 “to be agreed 
jointly with the neighbouring countries concerned. They should have a minimum duration of 
three years and be subject to renewal by mutual consent. Such action plans should be based 
on  common  principles  but  be  differentiated,  as  appropriate,  taking  into  account  the 
specificities  of  each  neighbour,  its  national  reform  processes  and  its  relations  with  the  EU. 
Action plans should be comprehensive but at the same time identify clearly a limited number 
of  key  priorities  and  offer  real  incentives  for  reform.  Action  plans  should  also  contribute, 
where possible, to regional cooperation.” 

The  first  Action  Plans  proposed  have  been  developed  with  partners  with  which  the  EU  has 
Association or Partnership and Cooperation Agreements in force: Jordan, Moldova, Morocco, 
Tunisia,  Ukraine,  Israel  and  the  Palestinian  Authority.  Before  starting  work  on  the  Action 
Plans,  the  Commission  prepared  Country  Reports  which  were  used  to  identify  priorities  for 
each country. The Commission has held exploratory talks with all these partners in the course 
of 2004 in close coordination with the Member States. Successive Presidencies, the Council 
Secretariat  and  representatives  of  SG/HR  Solana  have  participated  in  all  consultations  with 
partners. 

The  intensity  and  level  of  ambition  of  relations  with  each  ENP  partner  is  differentiated, 
reflecting  the  degree  to  which  common  values  are  effectively  shared,  the  existing  state  of 
relations with each country, its needs and capacities, as well as common interests. The tailor-
made Action Plans contain a number of priorities intended to strengthen commitment to these 
values.  These  include  for  example  strengthening  democracy  and  the  rule  of  law,  respect  of 
human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of media and expression, rights 
of minorities and support for the development of civil society. Commitments are also sought 
to  certain  essential  aspects  of  the  EU’s  external  action,  including  in  particular,  the  fight 
against  terrorism  and  the  proliferation  of  weapons  of  mass  destruction,  as  well  as  efforts  to 
achieve  conflict  resolution.  The  Action  Plans  should  contribute  to  cross-border cooperation. 
In this, the experience gained with structural polices will be taken into account. 

Individual priorities identified in the Action Plan aim to be both ambitious and realistic, and 
formulated in a manner as precise and specific as possible so as to allow concrete follow-up 
and monitoring of the commitments taken by both sides.  

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GAER Councils of 16 June 2003 and of 14 June 2004. 

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The Commission will send the draft Action Plans to the European Parliament, as well as to the 
European  Economic  and  Social  Committee,  and  the  Committee  of  the  Regions  for 
information. 

The  legal  basis  for  the  work  with  each  partner  country  is  the  Association  Agreement  or 
Partnership  and  Cooperation  Agreement  currently  in  force.  Once  approved  by  the  Member 
States,  the  Action  Plans  will  be  endorsed  by  the  respective  Association  or  Partnership  and 
Cooperation Councils. This takes the form of a Commission proposal for a Council Decision 
on  the  position  to  be  taken  by  the  European  Community  and  its  Member  States  within  the 
relevant Association or Partnership and Cooperation Council with regard to the adoption of a 
Recommendation on the implementation of the relevant Action Plan.  

After  that,  the  joint  bodies  set  up  under  these  agreements  (Association  or  Cooperation 
Councils and Committees and sub-committees) will be used to advance work on and monitor 
implementation of Action Plans. Progress in meeting agreed objectives will be monitored in 
the bodies established by the respective Association or Partnership and Cooperation Councils 
–  which  bring  together  representatives  of  partner  countries,  member  states,  the  European 
Commission  and  the  Council  Secretariat.  The  structures  under  these  agreements,  and  in 
particular the subcommittees, are being reviewed to ensure that all priorities identified in the 
Action Plans are duly reflected.  

The  Commission  will  draw  up  periodic  reports  on  progress  and  on  areas  needing  further 
effort.  For  these  reports,  the  Commission  will  invite  the  partner  countries  to  provide 
information and will also draw on the expertise of other organisations, as relevant, such as the 
Council  of  Europe,  the  OSCE,  UN  bodies  and  International  Financial  Institutions.  The 
Commission intends, for countries covered by these action plans, to submit to the Council a 
first set of progress reports in the course of 2006, and a second one in 2007. As in earlier work 
on  the  ENP,  the  Commission  will  seek  the  contribution  of  the  SG/HR  for  issues  related  to 
political dialogue and cooperation and the CFSP.  

Any  proposals  concerning  the  further  development  of  the  EU’s  contractual  links  with  each 
partner  will  be  made  in  the  light  of  these  reports.  The  Commission  has  proposed  that, 
depending  on  the  degree  of  success  in  implementing  the  initial  Action  Plans,  each  partner 
could be offered a new and more wide ranging contractual framework for its relations with the 
EU in the form of European Neighbourhood Agreements.  

The  implementation  of  the  priorities  in  the  Action  Plans  will  be  supported  by  financial 
assistance  through  the  existing  Meda  and  Tacis  programmes.  From  the  start  of  the  next 
financial  perspective,  the  Commission  has  proposed  a  new  “policy  driven”  European 
Neighbourhood  and  Partnership  Instrument  (ENPI)  which  will  focus  in  particular  on 
supporting the implementation of the ENP Action Plans.  

4. 

PRESENT POLITICAL CONTEXT 

Ukraine  is  among  the  partners  with  which  a  Draft  Action  Plan  has  been  negotiated  in  the 
course  of  2004.  The  Commission  has  presented  this  Action  Plan  for  Ukraine  as  a 
demonstration  of  its  full  engagement  with,  and  commitment  to,  the  country’s  future 
development. The Commission recommends that the Council transmit this Action Plan to the 
EU – Ukraine Co-operation Council for approval as soon as developments in Ukraine make it 
possible to envisage implementation of its provisions. These include the holding of free and 
fair Presidential elections in accordance with OSCE standards.  

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5. 

FUTURE ACTION PLANS 

After a proposal by the Commission, the GAER Council decided on 14 June 2004 to include 
Armenia,  Georgia  and  Azerbaijan  in  the  ENP.  This  marks  an  important  step  forward  in  the 
EU’s engagement with the Southern Caucasus region. The decision opens up the perspective 
of a significantly enhanced partnership. As a first step, the Commission will prepare Country 
Reports to be presented in time for the European Council in March 2005. These reports will 
also provide a basis for a recommendation as to whether and when to  prepare Action  Plans 
with these countries. 

Furthermore, with the respective EU Association Agreements with Egypt and Lebanon now in 
force,  the  Commission  will  integrate  these  two  countries  fully  into  the  ENP  and  has  begun 
preparations for Action Plans. For these countries, too, the Commission is preparing Country 
Reports  to  be  presented  in  time  for  the  European  Council  in  March  2005.  This  will  help  to 
identify priority areas on which Action Plans with Egypt and Lebanon could focus. 

The  European  Neighbourhood  Policy  is  open  to  Belarus  and  all  Mediterranean  countries 
including Lybia once they have met the necessary conditions for inclusion.  

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