Communication from the Commission to the Parliament and the Council - Implementation of the European neighbourhood policy in 2007 {SEC(2008) 391} {SEC(2008) 392} {SEC(2008) 393} {SEC(2008) 394} {SEC(2008) 395} {SEC(2008) 396} {SEC(2008) 397} {SEC(2008) 398} {SEC(2008) 399} {SEC(2008) 400} {SEC(2008) 401} {SEC(2008) 402} {SEC(2008) 403}
Date: 2008-04-03
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European neighbourhood policy, the EU's international role

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 03.04.2008 
COM(2008) 164 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL 

Implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy in 2007 

{SEC(2008) 391} 
{SEC(2008) 392} 
{SEC(2008) 393} 
{SEC(2008) 394} 
{SEC(2008) 395} 
{SEC(2008) 396} 
{SEC(2008) 397} 
{SEC(2008) 398} 
{SEC(2008) 399} 
{SEC(2008) 400} 
{SEC(2008) 401} 
{SEC(2008) 402} 
{SEC(2008) 403} 

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1. 

CONTEXT 

Over the last few years, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) has enabled the EU and 
its partners to make clear progress in deepening their cooperation and in targeting it better at 
the  needs  and  ambitions  of  partners.  The  ENP  is  gradually  establishing  itself  as  a  mutually 
beneficial partnership for reform and development, helping our neighbours to come closer to 
the  EU,  bringing  new  benefits  to  their  and  our  citizens  and  promoting  regional  integration 
beyond  the  borders  of  the  Union.  The  present  Communication  provides  an  overview  of 
developments in the EU’s relations with the neighbours that are encompassed by the ENP1. It 
covers  the  period  since  November  20062.  The  Commission  Communication  of  December 
20073 identified the areas where the EU side needs to do more, notably on trade and economic 
integration, mobility, or addressing regional conflicts.  

The structures and instruments, in the frame of which dialogue and cooperation takes place, 
are  now  well  developed.  These  are  discussed  in  section  2.  More  importantly,  the  relations 
between the EU and its partners are increasingly intensive, supporting a broad agenda for the 
adoption  and  implementation  of  EU-oriented  reforms  in  many  countries  and  across  a  wide 
range of sectors. Section 3 provides a summary  of  the  substantial  progress made  by partner 
countries,  as  well  as  the  areas  where  further  efforts  are  required.  More  detailed  information 
can be found in the country-specific Progress Reports and the Sectoral Progress Report which 
are  attached  as  staff  working  documents.  In  the  light  of  the  political,  economic,  social  and 
cultural diversity among ENP partners, and because there are variations in the sequencing and 
prioritisation  of  their  reforms,  these  reports  are  not  directly  comparable.  The  analysis  of 
progress on governance contained in the present Communication and its annexes will be the 
basis  for  the  decision  on  the  2008  Governance  Facility  allocations.  Section  4  addresses 
multilateral  developments  concerning  the  EU  and  its  partners.  Conclusions  regarding  the 
further development of bilateral EU relations with partner countries are drawn in Section 5.  

2. 

THE INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK 

Contractual  relations:  With  the  countries  covered  by  the  ENP,  except  Belarus,  Libya  and 
Syria, Partnership and Cooperation Agreements (in the East) and Association Agreements (in 
the South) have been concluded.  

Building  on  the  strong  progress  achieved  previously,  in  March  2007  the  EU  and  Ukraine 
opened  negotiations  on  a  new  Enhanced  Agreement  (NEA)  aiming  to  draw  Ukraine 
significantly closer by supporting further internal reforms, integrating the Ukrainian economy 
progressively  in  the  internal  market  and  going  beyond  the  Partnership  and  Cooperation 
Agreement  and  the  EU-Ukraine  Action  Plan  wherever  possible.  Since  then  seven  rounds  of 
negotiations  have  taken  place  and  both  sides  are  heavily  involved  in  developing  a  new 
ambitious  framework  for  their  growing  relationship.  Following  the  finalisation  of  Ukraine’s 
WTO accession process in February 2008, negotiations were launched in the same month on a 
deep and comprehensive free trade area as a core element of the NEA. 

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Algeria,  Armenia,  Azerbaijan,  Belarus,  Egypt,  Georgia,  Israel,  Jordan,  Libya,  Lebanon,  Republic  of 
Moldova, Morocco, occupied Palestinian territory, Syria, Tunisia, and Ukraine. For reasons of brevity 
the term “partner countries” will be used hereafter to include also the occupied Palestinian territory. 
COM(2006) 726. 
COM(2007) 774. 

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In October 2007, the Council adopted new conclusions on Libya requesting the Commission 
to submit draft negotiating directives with a view to a future EU-Libya framework agreement. 
The  Commission  presented  these  in  February  2008.  The  EU  offers  a  full  partnership  with 
Belarus provided that Belarus takes concrete  and convincing steps towards democratisation, 
respect for human rights and the rule of law. Steps by the Belarusian authorities to address the 
country’s  democratic  governance  shortcomings  remain  limited,  and  it  has  so  far  not  been 
possible  to  make  progress  towards  such  a  partnership.  At  the  same  time,  contacts  at  the 
technical  level  on  issues  of  mutual  interest  are  being  encouraged.  EU-Syria  relations  are 
governed by a 1977 Co-operation Agreement pending the signature of the draft Association 
Agreement.  

Action  Plans:  Following  the  adoption  of  action  plans  with  Armenia  (November  2006), 
Azerbaijan (November 2006), Georgia (November 2006), Lebanon (January 2007), and Egypt 
(March 2007), a total of twelve countries have now chosen to develop their relations with the 
EU  using  this  tool  to  accompany  domestic  reforms  and  the  strengthening  of  bilateral  and 
regional  cooperation.  As  regards  Algeria,  a  policy  dialogue  has  been  taken  up  in  numerous 
working  groups  and  sub-Committees  on  the  basis  of  its  Association  Agreement.  At  the 
Association Council of March 2008 it was decided to establish a joint work programme to set 
priorities for the implementation of the Association Agreement. 

The first Action Plans entered into force in early 2005. Three of them (Ukraine, the Republic 
of  Moldova  and  Israel)  had  an  initial  time  horizon  of  three  years.  As  these  countries  have 
made significant advances and their relations with the EU are currently under review, with a 
view  to  substantially  deepening  them,  cooperation  continues,  at  present  and  for  pragmatic 
reasons, on the basis of these Action Plans. 

3. 

THE DOMESTIC REFORM AGENDA IN PARTNER COUNTRIES 

Political dialogue and reform 

The  political  reform  processes,  while  sharing  important  core  principles,  are  different  in  the 
various  countries  under  the  ENP,  reflecting  the  commitments  that  they  have  made  in  this 
respect. In the east, all ENP partners that have agreed Action Plans are members of the OSCE 
and  the  Council  of  Europe,  which  contributes  to  a  particular reform  agenda  aiming  at  close 
approximation  to  the  fundamental  standards  prevailing  in  the  EU.  The  implementation  of 
reforms  in  most  countries  of  the  region  also  took  place  against  a  background  of  economic 
growth  and  relative  stability.  In  the  south,  the  reform  agenda  is  based  on  the  agreed  values 
enshrined in the Barcelona Declaration and takes these and UN commitments as benchmarks. 
In many countries that have yet to meet these standards fully, political reform is slow-moving. 
In the case of Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territory, the political context has as yet 
not allowed Action Plan objectives to be meaningfully addressed, despite noticeable efforts. 
More  generally,  the  political  dialogue  and  reform  agenda  of  the  ENP  partners  is  highly 
differentiated  and  the  following  remarks  need  to  be  considered  with  reference  to  the 
individual Action Plans and progress reports. 

A number of countries, in particular the Republic of Moldova and Armenia, are introducing 
reforms to strengthen their democratic institutions. This includes, in the case of the Republic 
of Moldova, legislative measures related to parliamentary reform and local self-government, 
and,  in  the  case  of  Armenia,  the  separation  of  powers,  including  increased  powers  for  the 
National Assembly and improved local self-government. Morocco has become a member of 

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the  Venice  Commission  of  the  Council  of  Europe.  It  made  progress  on  the  judicial 
accountability  of  members  of  the  government  and  on  local  self-government  reform.  Egypt 
introduced  a  package  of  Constitutional  amendments  with  a  view,  among  other  things,  to 
ending the State of Emergency by July 2008. Jordan adopted a new  Municipalities  law that 
foresees the direct election of municipal council members and mayors (except in Amman) and 
thus made progress in promoting local democracy. Relations between parliaments can play an 
important  role  in  further  developing  parliamentary  culture.  The  European  Parliament’s 
intentions,  as  expressed  in  its  November  2007  report  on  ENP,  to  strengthen  its  cooperation 
with partner country parliaments will be a major factor in this regard. 

Elections,  whether  presidential,  legislative,  or  local,  were  held  in  a  number  of  partner 
countries. These have provided important signals regarding the development of democracy. In 
the Republic of Moldova, local elections in June 2007 were generally well administered and 
offered  voters  a  genuine  choice,  although  some  shortcomings  were  noted,  in  particular  in 
respect of equitable access to the media for all candidates. Following the elections to Egypt’s 
upper chamber, the EU Presidency issued a statement expressing certain concerns about their 
conduct.  In  the  September  2007  legislative  elections,  Morocco  made  progress  on  the 
transparency of the electoral process and on allowing political contestants access to media. In 
Ukraine, despite the controversy surrounding the calling of pre-term parliamentary elections, 
a consolidation of the democratic process was achieved in 2007. The elections were assessed 
to  have  taken  place  mostly  in  line  with  international  standards  for  democratic  elections. 
Jordan’s  parliamentary  elections  in  November  2007  were  held  under  legislation  that  falls 
short of some international standards. Jordan did not accept international electoral observers. 
In Georgia, the proposal to delay the Presidential elections to the autumn of 2008 led to civil 
unrest  and  the  imposition  of  a  state  of  emergency.  In  response  to  the  concerns  that  these 
events raised, Presidential elections were held in January 2008. These revealed a number of 
deficiencies in the electoral process, including unbalanced media exposure of candidates, use 
of  state  resources  for  campaign  purposes,  reported  acts  of  voters'  intimidation,  and 
irregularities in the counting and tabulation. They will need to be addressed if Georgia is to 
achieve the Action Plan objectives in the area of political reform. In Armenia the Presidential 
elections  in  February  2008  were  conducted  mostly  in  line  with  international  standards. 
However,  the  lack  of  a  clear  separation  between  state  and  party  functions  and  the  need  for 
equal access of the candidates to the media were mentioned as concerns to be tackled. There 
were also concerns regarding the state of emergency that was introduced in the aftermath of 
the elections. 

Voter turnout can in some cases be an indicator of the level of confidence among citizens that 
they can exercise influence through the ballot box. In the elections referred to above the rates 
of participation were: Republic of Moldova – 52%, Egypt – 31%, Ukraine – 63%, Morocco – 
37%, Jordan – 54%, Georgia – 56% and Armenia – 69%. 

Several  countries  (notably  Armenia,  Georgia,  the  Republic  of  Moldova,  and  Morocco) 
introduced measures to strengthen the independence and transparency of the judiciary, a key 
element of political reform. The overall level of corruption remains worrying in most partner 
countries. Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Morocco and Ukraine adopted countermeasures 
such  as  anti-corruption  screening  of  legislation  before  its  adoption,  obligatory  assets 
declarations for high officials, or awareness raising. Limited steps toward the establishment of 
a  transparent,  accountable  and  effective  public  administration  were  taken  in  Armenia, 
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Jordan, Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territory and Ukraine.  

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As concerns human rights and fundamental freedoms, Jordan (December 2006) acceded to the 
Optional Protocol (OP) on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography of 
the  Convention  on  the  Rights  of  the  Child.  Egypt  (in  February  2007)  and  Jordan  (in  May 
2007) acceded to the OP on Children in Armed Conflicts of the same Convention. Georgia, 
the Republic of Moldova, Morocco and Ukraine also made progress toward the ratification of 
a  number  of  international  conventions.  Measures  to  strengthen  institutions  responsible  for 
monitoring and defending human rights were taken by a number of countries: the role of the 
Ombudsperson  was  strengthened  in  Armenia  and  Azerbaijan;  a  National  Preventive 
Mechanism  under  the  OP  to  the  Convention  against  Torture  is  being  established  in  the 
Republic  of  Moldova;  in  Egypt,  the  National  Council  for  Human  Rights  adopted  a  national 
plan of action for the promotion and protection of human rights. 

Ukraine  (July  2007)  acceded  to  the  second  OP  (Abolition  of  the  Death  Penalty)  of  the 
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. A number of countries maintained their 
de facto moratoria on capital punishment, and Jordan also reduced the number of crimes that 
carry capital punishment. Cases of torture and ill-treatment continue to be reported in most 
partner  countries,  although  with  very  different  levels  of  frequency  and  severity.  Incidents 
often  occur  in  pre-trial  detention  and  prison  facilities.  There  was  some  progress  in  the 
prevention of torture and ill-treatment, for instance in Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and 
Ukraine. Tunisia and Morocco made some progress in the prosecution of perpetrators. There 
are  concerns  about  the  independence  of  the  media  and freedom  of expression in many ENP 
partner  countries.  Armenia  made  progress  in  improving  the  freedom  of  the  media.  Progress 
has  been  made  on  gender  issues  in  a  number  of  countries:  in  Egypt,  Female  Genital 
Mutilation has been formally prohibited; in Morocco, an amendment to the Nationality Code 
allows  the  transmission  of  nationality  through  the  mother;  and  in  Tunisia,  the  procedure  to 
ratify  the  OP  of  the  Convention  on  the  Elimination  of  All  Forms  of  Discrimination  against 
Women  has  been  initiated.  The  participation  of  women  in  political  life  has  advanced  in 
Jordan,  the  Republic  of  Moldova  and  Morocco.  Steps  to  improve  the  conditions  of  national 
minorities  were  taken  in  Georgia,  through  the  implementation  of  a  civic  integration 
programme, in the Republic of Moldova, with the adoption of an Action Plan to support the 
Roma  population,  and  in  Ukraine,  which  ratified  the  European  Convention  on  Nationality. 
Regarding core labour rights, the ratification and implementation of ILO conventions remains 
problematic in a number of partner countries. 

As concerns the settlement of regional conflicts, the EU maintains an open dialogue with all 
partner countries. The Republic of Moldova and Ukraine cooperated closely with the EU on 
questions  related  to  the  Transnistria  settlement  efforts.  The  mandate  of  the  EU  Border 
Assistance  Mission  to  Moldova  and  Ukraine  (EUBAM)  was  extended  until  end-November 
2009. In the occupied Palestinian territory, the police training mission EU POL COPPS was 
reactivated  and  EU  Ministers  indicated  their  readiness  to  redeploy  the  border  monitoring 
mission  EU  BAM  Rafah  as  soon  as  conditions  allow.  In  Georgia,  the  implementation  of  a 
package  of  confidence-building  measures  in  Abkhazia  and  South  Ossetia  began  in  autumn 
2007; however results on the path to the settlement of these conflicts are very limited. Despite 
an  informal  meeting  between  the  Presidents  of  Armenia  and  Azerbaijan  in  June  2007, 
progress on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is also limited. Egypt and Jordan 
played  an important role  in the re-launching of the Arab Peace  Initiative, including  through 
their participation in the Arab League’s follow up committee and at the Annapolis meeting in 
November 2007. Negotiations on the status of the Western Sahara were recently re-launched, 
but so far there has been little progress. 

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Finally,  most  ENP  partner  countries  are  giving  increased  attention  to  improving  the 
management  of  their  migratory  flows  and  to  deepen  the  cooperation  with  the  EU  on  this 
important policy. 

Socio-economic reform 

Regarding  macroeconomic  developments,  most  ENP  partner  countries  registered  high 
economic growth in 2007. In the Republic of Moldova, growth slowed down somewhat due to 
the  consequences  of  a  serious  drought.  In  Morocco  agricultural  output  was  also  affected  by 
drought.  In  Lebanon  political  instability  damaged  the  economy.  Countries  with  important 
energy-sector  revenues,  notably  Azerbaijan,  experienced 
the  highest  growth  rates. 
Government  budget  deficits  and  overall  indebtedness  generally  remained  manageable. 
Inflation rose in  most countries, largely  owing to global commodity price increases, but the 
rate  of  monetary  expansion  is  a  concern  in  some  cases.  Bilateral  trade  between  the  EU  and 
ENP  partners  increased  substantially,  thus  strengthening  our  relations,  while  the  trade 
balances  and  the  current  account  deficits  of  most  partner  countries  deteriorated.  Increased 
foreign direct investment is financing the deficits in a number of cases. Israel and Jordan saw 
improvements in their trade balance. In the case of Jordan, the large trade deficit with the EU 
nevertheless requires continued attention. Azerbaijan and Algeria recorded budget and trade 
surpluses. Israel sustained its substantial growth rate, significantly reduced its public debt and 
brought  the  government  deficit  close  to  balance.  The  EU’s  position  as  the  principal  trading 
partner  of  ENP  countries  was  further  consolidated  in  2007,  notably  with  the  accession  of 
Bulgaria and Romania.  

Armenia,  Egypt,  Georgia,  Jordan,  and  Tunisia  made  progress  in  improving  their  business 
environment, through measures such as the simplification of company registration procedures, 
reduction of licensing fees, or the introduction of “one-stop shops”. The Euro-Mediterranean 
Charter  for  Enterprise  to  which  most  of  the  Southern  partner  countries  have  acceded  has 
underpinned this process. However, this has not yet led to increased foreign direct investment 
in all cases, particularly among some Mediterranean ENP partners. In Egypt, Georgia and the 
Republic of Moldova, foreign direct investment reached record levels in 2007.  

Most  ENP  countries  have  substantial  informal  economies,  and  economic  governance 
generally needs to be improved. Despite relatively high rates of economic growth most ENP 
partners  have  been  contending  with  high  rates  of  unemployment,  particularly  among  the 
young  in  the  Mediterranean  ENP  countries.  Israel  and  Ukraine  saw  a  gradual  reduction  of 
unemployment.  A  key  challenge  is  the  promotion  of  decent  working  conditions.  Despite 
efforts  in  some  countries,  the  role  of  women  in  social  and  economic  life  has  not  improved 
significantly.  

The Commission will publish its Economic Review of EU Neighbour Countries in June 2008. 

Sectoral reform 

An  overview  of  progress  in  other  policy  areas  of  the  ENP  Action  Plans,  as  well  as  some 
governance and economic indicators, can be found in the Sectoral Progress Report in annex. 
Generally, ENP partner countries made further progress in the transformation of their sectoral 
policies, adopting strategies and taking steps on their path of reform and modernisation and 
their  integration  with  the  EU  economy  and  market.  They  introduced  new  legislation  and 
strengthened  their  institutional  capacities.  Secondary  legislation  and  the  administrative 
capacity to implement the reforms continue to be the main challenge. Progress varied in speed 

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and depth  both  between countries and between sectors.  In  several  ENP  partner  countries  an 
increasing  commitment  to  adapt  national  legislation  to  EU law  can  be  observed, in  varying 
degrees  and  depending on  the sector.  Moreover,  EC  financial  assistance  has  increasingly 
become policy-driven and focused on the reform priorities agreed in the ENP Action Plans. 

In  a  number  of  policy  areas,  progress  can  only  be  made  over  time;  therefore,  the  progress 
report regularly points to ongoing measures as well as to accomplished modernisation steps. 
In  all  areas,  the  policy  dialogue  between  the  EC  and  ENP  partner  countries  was  further 
intensified. 

Sectoral  policy  dialogue  is  a  crucial  platform  for  the  “partnership-for-reform”  that  the  ENP 
entails. The process of creating a public administration that responds to the needs and rights 
of  citizens  –  providing  one-stop-shop  business  registration;  citizen-oriented  and  corruption-
free  police  or  customs  services;  effective  port  management  facilitating  commerce  and 
transport; or access to environmental information; to give but a few examples – represents, if 
it is sustained, a strong political contribution to good governance and the rule of law.  

4. 

MULTILATERAL DEVELOPMENTS 

In  November  2005  the  Barcelona  Summit  adopted  a  five-year  work  programme  and  in 
November  2006,  at  the  Ministerial  Meeting  held  in  Tampere,  Euro-Mediterranean  partners 
adopted  a  work  programme  for  2007.  During  2007,  the  work  done  in  the  four  chapters  of 
cooperation  was  considerable  and  the  bilateral  policy  dialogue  conducted  within  the 
framework  of  the  ENP  continued  to  contribute  to  fostering  progress  towards  regional 
cooperation in many areas. Most of the 21 initiatives agreed in Tampere were implemented by 
the  end  of  2007.  A  new  set  of  initiatives  for  2008  was  agreed  at  the  Euro-Mediterranean 
Ministerial held in Lisbon in November 2007. The political and security dialogue focused on 
a regular review of the political situation in the Middle East, the implementation of the Code 
of  Conduct  on  countering  terrorism,  the  deepening  of  the  dialogue  on  ESDP  and  security 
issues, the launching of a regional dialogue on joint cooperation in the area of elections and 
initiatives  related  to  civil  society,  human  rights  and  democracy.  In  the  area  of  economic 
cooperation, progress was made on financial cooperation in the framework of the Facility for 
Euro-Mediterranean  Investment  and  Partnership  (FEMIP), 
the  creation  of  a  Euro-
Mediterranean  network  of  public  finance  experts,  negotiations  on  services  and  the  right  of 
establishment and the setting up of a group of High Officials to further work on the objective 
of  a  Free  Trade  Area  by  2010  and  beyond.  Dialogue  was  also  pursued  in  a  broad  range  of 
sectors,  including  environmental  challenges  facing  Mediterranean  partners.  In  the  field  of 
energy, the Euro-Mediterranean Energy Ministerial endorsed a priority action plan for 2008-
2013 in December 2007. Regarding the cultural and human dimension, a greater involvement 
of civil society was pursued. Dialogue focused on issues such as the role of women in society, 
higher  education  and  scientific  research,  and  the  information  society.  The  political dialogue 
with  ENP  partners  was  also  strengthened  following  the  Africa-EU  Summit  in  Lisbon  in 
December 2007, which adopted a joint African-EU Strategy and a first Action Plan and will 
create  further  synergies  in  relations  between  the  EU  and  African  partner  countries 
respectively. 

In  March  2008,  the  European  Council  approved  the  principle  of  a  Union  for  the 
Mediterranean  which  will  include  the  Member  States  of  the  EU  and  the  non-EU 
Mediterranean  coastal  states.  It  invited  the  Commission  to  present  to  the  Council  the 
necessary  proposals  for  defining  the  modalities  of  what  will  be  called  "Barcelona  Process: 

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Union for the Mediterranean" with a view to the Summit which will take place in Paris on 13 
July 2008. The Commission will table these proposals swiftly and in this process also carry 
out consultations with the Southern neighbours  

In  a  Communication  of  April  2007  the  Commission  spelled  out  the  Black  Sea  Synergy 
initiative  as  a  response  to  challenges  and  opportunities  requiring  the  enhancement  of  Black 
Sea  regional  cooperation.  This  initiative  takes  advantage  of  the  accession  of  Bulgaria  and 
Romania  to  the  EU  and  Turkey's  accession  process,  and  it  is  complementary  to  the  mainly 
bilateral  efforts  under  the  ENP  and  the  other  policies  applied  in  the  region.  It  offers  a  new 
regional cooperation platform involving the EU, Turkey, all Eastern ENP partners with agreed 
Action  Plans  and  the  Russian  Federation.  Following  the  endorsement  of  the  Black  Sea 
Synergy by the Council, the Commission began implementing a series of concrete measures, 
mainly in the fields of energy, transport, environment, fishery, migration and the development 
of  civil  society.  The  Commission  acquired  observer  status  in,  and  developed  working  links 
with,  the  Organization  of  the  Black  Sea  Economic  Cooperation  (BSEC).  A  meeting  of  the 
Foreign  Ministers  of  the  EU  and  of  Black  Sea  Synergy  partners  took  place  in  Kyiv  on  14 
February 2008. The meeting adopted a Joint Statement, launching the Black Sea Synergy as a 
common,  long-term  endeavour.  In  June  2008  the  Commission  will  present  a  review  to  the 
Council on the first year of the Black Sea Synergy. 

5. 

FURTHER EVOLUTION OF EU RELATIONS WITH PARTNER COUNTIES 

Further evolution in Action Plans  

In its February 2008 Conclusions, the Council underlined the central role of Action Plans in 
advancing the objectives of the European Neighbourhood Policy. The progress reported on in 
the present Communication amply supports this assessment. Action Plans have been central in 
giving operational substance to the contractual relations between the EU and its partners and 
are  also  becoming  important  reference  points  for  the  donor  community.  As  these  relations 
deepen  and  as  some  objectives  are  achieved  while  new  ones  are  agreed  upon,  it  will  be 
necessary to adapt these tools accordingly. The Action Plans themselves make provision for 
this  adaptation,  which  will  allow  the  increased  ambitions  of  the  parties  to  be  reflected  in  a 
document that serves to organise their joint work. The Commission considers that such tools, 
whatever they may be called, will also continue to be useful in the context of new contractual 
agreements to be concluded with ENP partners. 

The experience gained so far during the implementation of the first generation of Action Plans 
suggests that future adaptations should lead to documents that are more closely calibrated to 
the partner countries’ specific ambitions and capacities, reflecting the differentiated relations 
of  the  EU  with  its  partners,  whilst  also  promoting  achievable  steps  towards  regulatory 
convergence with EU legislation and standards. This differentiation will also lead to greater 
ownership on the part of the partner countries.  

The  principal  features  of  Action  Plans,  namely  that  they  are  relatively  specific,  time-bound 
and action-oriented, need to be preserved and improved. A clearer sequencing of the measures 
taken in the pursuit of Action Plan objectives would also be useful. In general, the scope of 
the  Action  Plans  (i.e.  the  number  of  sectors  addressed)  should  be  maintained,  as  this 
represents  the  richness  of  the  relations  the  EU  is  developing  with  its  partners.  A  realistic 
stock-taking of the extent of Action Plan implementation should be carried out.  

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Future developments in the relations with partners 

The ENP is thus gradually gaining ground as a vehicle for the development of more intense 
and  fruitful  relations  between  the  EU  and  its  partners.  The  EU  must  now  continue  its 
approach  of  1)  intensifying  the  policy  and  its  delivery  so  that  it  brings  clearer  benefits,  2) 
pursuing  a  gradualist,  performance-based  and  differentiated  course  and  3)  showing 
willingness to deepen relations with select partners where this is warranted and sought by the 
countries concerned. 

With  four  countries,  joint  work  on  implementing  the  Action  Plans  has  intensified  in  such  a 
way  that  a  particular  deepening  of  relations  with  the  EU  is  warranted.  This  will  be  taken 
forward  in  each  case  in  a  manner  tailored  to  the  specific  circumstances,  consistent  with  the 
overall philosophy of the ENP, including the principle of agreed benchmarks. With Ukraine, 
an ambitious new framework is being laid for this partnership through negotiations on a new 
Enhanced  Agreement,  which  are  progressing  rapidly  and  will  include  provisions  for  a  deep 
and  comprehensive  free  trade  area.  The  Republic  of  Moldova  has  made  good  progress  in 
implementing its ENP Action Plan and shown strong political will to advance further. As the 
Council concluded in February 2008, the EU is ready, on the basis of sustained progress, to 
start  a  reflection  on  a  new  agreement,  adapted  to  the  Republic  of  Moldova's  interests  and 
going beyond the PCA. Discussions are also progressing with Morocco on concrete ways to 
achieve an “advanced status” which could be a broad package including significant measures 
on the mobility of people parallel to progress on readmission. With Israel, a reflection group 
is considering areas where relations with the EU might be upgraded to a special status; this 
should include both a deepening of political dialogue and involving Israel more closely in the 
EU economy and market and in a number of key EU policies. 

Joint work will continue over a broad range of sectoral policy areas with Jordan and Tunisia, 
in support of the countries’ respective reform agendas.  

With  other  countries,  implementation  of  ENP  Action  Plans  began  only  relatively  recently. 
Progress  with  Armenia,  Egypt  and  Georgia  will  build  upon  the  promising  start  already 
made,  in  each  case  taking  account  of  the  specific  circumstances  and  ambitions  of  the 
countries.  Work  is  also  progressing  with  Azerbaijan  in  a  number  of  sectors,  including 
cooperation on energy. 

In  the  case  of  Lebanon  and  the  occupied  Palestinian  territory,  the  ENP  Action  Plans  will 
provide a solid anchor for reform once conditions permit greater progress. In the meantime, 
contacts  continue  at  many  levels  to  build  confidence  and  capacity.  A  meeting  of  the  Joint 
Committee with the Palestinian Authority scheduled for the second quarter of 2008 is meant 
to re-launch the joint implementation of its Action Plan. 

With  four  countries  covered  by  the  ENP,  no  Action  Plans  have  been  agreed,  but  in  several 
cases  advances  in  taking  relations  forward  have  nevertheless  been  possible.  With  Algeria, 
implementation  of  the  Association  Agreement  is  progressing  well;  relations  are  deepening 
rapidly  in  areas  ranging  from  energy  to  migration.  With  Libya,  relations  have  tangibly 
improved;  the  Commission  proposes  the  negotiation  of  an  ambitious  and  wide-ranging 
agreement with this important country. With Syria, relations could be enhanced on the basis 
of the draft Association Agreement when political circumstances allow. While relations with 
Belarus at ministerial level remain constrained due to the internal situation in the country, at 
the same time, technical-level contacts are being developed. The opening of an EC Delegation 
in Minsk will make it possible to strengthen these contacts as well as links with Belarus’ civil 
society.  

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A more visible policy 

The December 2006 Commission Communication noted the need for an increased visibility of 
the  European  Neighbourhood  Policy  to advance  ownership  of  the  reform  process,  and to 
underpin the EU’s support for its neighbours as they come closer to the Union. Alongside the 
conference held in Brussels in September 2007, bringing together ministers and civil society 
from  the  EU  and  partner  countries,  2007  saw  a  marked  increase  in the  general  public's 
awareness  in  many  partner  countries  of Action  Plan  commitments and  in  the  focus  of  civil 
society organisations  on  the  ENP.  Within  the  EU,  the  importance  of  strengthening relations 
with our neighbours has moved closer to the centre of the policy debate. The Commission will 
build on these achievements, in cooperation with the other Institutions, the Member States and 
partner countries. 

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