The Eastern Partnership (EaP) was launched in 2009 in Prague with the goal of fostering democracy, stability, security and prosperity in the six EaP states: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus. Some seven years on, the EaP has had very mixed results in terms of reform and democratic development. While some states (Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) have made European integration a priority and forged ahead with Association Agreements and deep trade pacts with the EU, other countries have chosen a different sort of relationship. Furthermore, with the EU member states divided over the future of the EaP, as well as being seemingly locked in a cycle of never-ending crises, not only have there been delays in quickly delivering visa liberalisation to both Ukraine and Georgia, there are also concerns over the EU’s long-term commitment to the EaP region. This Policy Dialogue looked at the key challenges facing the EaP both in terms of the policy itself and the relations with individual states, including the extent to which the EU’s internal challenges may have an impact on the future European integration aspirations of some of the EaP states.

Speakers included: Amanda Paul, Senior Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre, Linas Linkevicius, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Mikheil Janelidze, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Thomas Mayr-Harting, Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia, European External Action Service, Tom Casier, Director and Senior Lecturer, University of Kent