4 Top "Twitter Diplomats" Disappointed by Ukraine's Decision, But "Open Door" Policy

Foto @fabiolahrnndz/Twitter

Many European diplomats expressed their disappointment that Ukraine put the European integration on hold which could be seen as far from achieving the principles of democracy and the rule of law.

The Eastern Partnership and Its 14 "Buddies"

EaP Countries and supporters among the EU; EU21Global

Everyone needs friends. At times of important decisions - this applies even more. The eastern neighbours of the European Union have experienced that there are comparable difficulties on the way of European integration. However, there are some supporters among the EU member states. Various meetings at the national and regional level were hold for the purpose of demonstration of additional support for the Eastern partnership countries. The three Baltic countries Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, Poland, Sweden and Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, the Nordic countries Denmark, Finland and Sweden, as well as Bulgaria and Romania and even Great Britain increasingly showed their support to further develop the Eastern Partnership and manage the European integration of the Eastern neighbours of the European Union. Additionally they send a clear signal to the EaP countries that there were indeed serious obstacles in the path of reforms in order to get closer to the European Union.

Moldova - A "Last Minute Saviour" for the Eastern Partnership?

José Manuel Barroso, President of the EC visits Moldova,
Foto: Photographic service of the Council of the EU © European Communities

WHO needs whom - Moldova the Eastern partnership or the Eastern partnership Moldova? In the last few weeks and months there have been repeated rumors that the Eastern partnership countries are going to further diversify their cooperation options. There are two perfect examples - Ukraine and Armenia. The European Union is becoming more aware that the developments in the Eastern neighbourhood can represent a risk and it is called to stimulate its relations with some "A-plus students" if it didn't want to jeopardize the credibility of its Eastern policy. Who is eligible to become a showcase? Moldova?! However, it should be handled with caution.

Eastern EU Members "go for color" and accept responsibility for Eastern Partnership countries

For nearly two decades, the Eastern EU Members enjoy the advantage of democracy. Since 2004 all of them are able to enjoy the same benefits as full EU Members. It is time to break that stranglehold of the past of beeing a kind of second-class member and to create a new democratic environment that applies to all Eastern neighbours of the European Union. The whole development in the Eastern Partnership countries open a window of opportunity to come to a sustainable and durable influence on the European Eastern policy.

Rendez-vous with the last dictatorship in Europe: Belarus

Belarus and the Eastern Partnership

The transformation process after the collapse of the Soviet Union leaded to a kind of rapprochement of many Eastern European countries to united Europe. Among the new neighbouring countries after the Eastern enlargement in 2004 and 2007, Belarus remains an exception in many respects with its supposed neutrality and autoctrative style of governance. Nearly 1250 kilometres forming the common border of the European Union with Belarus. But after the era of European enlargement and the increased dominance of territory and borders in the path toward national political and economic strength of Russia, the real test for Belarus' transition lies in the overcoming of two different political approaches: the European Neighbourhood Policy's "ring of friends" and the Russian "near abroad" policy.

2011 - A Year for the Eastern Partnership?

2011 could be a crucial year for the development of the EU's Eastern Partnership. There are some initial steps towards deeper rapprochement, but 2011 could be a year where the EU and the partner countries should show their will for.

Javier Solana, José Manuel Barroso and Mirek Topolánek
during their speeches at the Eastern Partnership Summit.
Foto: Photographic service of the Council of the EU ©
European Communities

Eastern Partnership - Background

The EU's Eastern Partnership was initially a Polish-Swedish initiative but was taken over by the European Commission in December 2008 and endorsed by the European Council in March 2009, under the Czech EU Presidency. It aims to complete the Union's foreign policy towards Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus by developing a specific Eastern dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy. The countries concerned are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

The Reluctant Eastern Partner: Ukraine

The European Union hosted the 14th EU-Ukraine Summit in Brusels on 22 November 2010.

Herman van Rompuy, José Manuel Barroso, Viktor Yanukovych.
Foto: Credit © European Union, 2010 

The following three main topics were high on the meeting agenda:

• The reform process in Ukraine: in particular macro-economic stability (the Standby Arrangement with the IMF, EU macro-financial aid); energy issues; the local elections of 31 October 2010 and the constitutional court decision; respect for human rights and democratic principles; civil society, media development and people-to-people contacts
• EU-Ukraine relations, including the Action Plan for a visa-free regime; progress with EU-Ukraine Association Agreement; energy reform; deepening cooperation and convergence in foreign and security policy; the Joint Co-operation Initiative for Crimea.
• Regional issues, in particular the Transnistrian conflict and the EU Border Assistance Mission; relations with Belarus.