European Neighbourhood Policy - Strengthening the ENP

In December 2006, two and a half years after the EU adopted the European Neighbourhood Policy, the European Commission published a report on progress [67 KB] , together with recommendations about how the policy could be further strengthened. The Commission reported that progress was being made but that, since our partners face up-front reform costs now, for benefits which only come later, the EU should provide more incentives now. 

In response, the EU’s Heads of State and Government (European Council) asked the incoming German Presidency to prepare a report, for their next meeting in June 2007, on progress made in implementing these proposals.

EU Foreign Ministers adopted Conclusions on the ENP in June 2007, as well as the German Presidency Report [35 KB] which was presented to the June European Council.

In December 2007 the Commission issued a further Communication “A Strong ENP [56 KB] ", which was addressed chiefly at actors within the EU. The Communication made a number of specific proposals intended to achieve a more substantial EU offer vis-à-vis partner countries, particularly on trade, mobility, tackling frozen conflicts.

In February 2008 EU Foreign Ministers adopted Conclusions, welcoming the Commission’s Communication on “A Strong ENP” as a basis for further reflection on making the ENP more effective and more attractive to partner countries, with the aim of making full use of this policy’s potential.

The Commission presented more detail on how to strengthen the ENP, for instance on:

• What further economic integration [45 KB] could look like
• How people to people contacts (the “civil society dimension [44 KB] ”) could be developed
• How a multilateral “thematic dimension [140 KB] ” (e.g. cooperation on issues such as energy, transport, environment, public health etc) could be added to the ENP
• How to facilitate legitimate short-term travel and improve issuance of visas [62 KB]

as well as proposals in relation to Black Sea Synergy [376 KB] and on opening Community programmes and agencies [158 KB] to ENP partner countries.

Work on the implementation of these ideas continues.