Cristina Gherasimov, Research Fellow, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)

Nona Mikhelidze, Head of Eastern Europe and Eurasia Programme, Istituto Affari Internazionali, Italy

Stanislav Secrieru, Senior Analyst, European Union Institute for Security Studies

Ryhor Nizhnikau, Senior Research Fellow, Finnish Institute of International Affairs

Paul Ivan, Senior Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre (Moderator)

Ahead of the finalization of the structured consultation process launched by the EU on the Eastern Partnership initiative, this timely workshop aimed to translate already existing policy recommendations into political-level advice for how the EU should approach challenges in the Eastern Partnership region and discussed how to improve and upgrade the policy.

The workshop focused in particular on how the EU should deal with the EU membership aspirations of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia and at ways in which sectorial cooperation could be enhanced beyond 2020, as well exploring alternative cooperation mechanisms of engagement with the eastern neighourhood. Other issues covered in the discussion included how to engage with Russia on the Eastern Partnership and the security dimension.