European Neighbourhood Policy
2. ENP today
The European Neighbourhood Policy includes all the Mediterranean and East European countries plus the Caucasus:
Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine. However, relations with neighbouring Russia are developed through a Strategic Partnership covering four “common spaces”, instead of through the ENP.
Each state is offered a privileged relationship, including the chance to integrate into the European Union’s internal market of 500 million consumers. In return, the ENP states must commit to democracy, human rights and reforms in a wide range of fields.
The ENP goes beyond existing relationships to offer a deeper political relationship and economic integration - a comprehensive vision of political and economic reform, development and modernization, including elements not offered to any other “third countries”. The level of ambition of the relationship varies from state to state, depending on the extent to which common values and interests are effectively shared.
Key elements of the European Neighbourhood Policy are the ENP Action Plans jointly agreed to between the EU and each individual partnering state. These set out an agenda of political and economic reforms with short and longer-term priorities. Implementation of the first ENP Action Plans (agreed to in 2005 with Israel, Jordan, Moldova, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Tunisia and Ukraine, in 2006 with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, and in 2007 with Egypt and Lebanon) is underway. Algeria, having only recently ratified its Association Agreement with the EU, has chosen not to negotiate an Action Plan yet.
Experts from both sides meet regularly as sub-committees to monitor and promote progress and implementation. Progress is supported by greater incentives and benefits.
Since the ENP builds upon existing agreements between the EU and the partner in question (Partnership and Cooperation Agreements, or Association Agreements in the framework of the EuroMediterranean Partnership), the ENP is not yet ‘activated’ for Belarus, Libya or Syria since no such agreements are yet in force.
Examples of initiatives promoted via ENP Action Plans:
promoting agricultural exports of ENP partners by enhancing food safety systems, stepping up scientific cooperation, boosting energy links, developing transport networks, fighting terrorism through increased political and cross-border cooperation, tackling migration.
Specifically:
- setting up a Health Sector Reform Programme in Egypt to fund clinics, medical training and equipment and to upgrade a large number of health facilities;
- further developing the tax system and administration and continuing public finance reform in Jordan;
- pursuing democratisation reforms, implementing international human rights conventions and modernising the justice system in Morocco;
- adopting a strategy for judicial reform and the fight against corruption in the Palestinian Authority;
- supporting democratisation reforms, human rights and modernisation and independence of the judiciary in Tunisia;
- supporting border management in Ukraine and Moldova.