Statistical cooperation - European Neighbourhood Policy

Article last updated: February 2023.

This article is part of a set of background articles which introduce the statistical cooperation activities of the European Union (EU) with non-member countries and focuses on the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). More specific information can be found in articles on ENP-East countries and ENP-South countries.

Full article

Countries concerned

The ENP is about working together with countries neighbouring the EU in order to increase their prosperity, stability and security. The geographical regions concerned are: eastern Europe and the southern Caucasus, collectively referred to as ENP-East; and the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean, collectively referred to as ENP-South. The ENP-East countries are: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine . The ENP-South countries are: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine , Syria  and Tunisia.

Context

The ENP was developed in 2004, with the objective of avoiding the emergence of new dividing lines between the enlarged EU and its neighbours; its aim was to strengthen the prosperity, stability and security of all parties. The ENP is a key part of the EU’s foreign policy.

In May 2011, partly in response to the ‘Arab Spring’, the European Commission (EC) and the European External Action Service (EEAS) launched a new and ambitious ENP, confirming the EU’s determined and reinforced engagement with its neighbours to the east and to the south. A policy document sets out the main priorities for the new policy.

The Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe (NDICI) for the period 2021 – 2027 covers cooperation with the ENP countries.

The ENP was revised in 2015 based on a wide consultation process that included seeking the opinion of EU Member States, international organisations and NGOs. The review was adopted on 18 November 2015 through a joint communication (JOIN(2015) 50 final) of the European Commission and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

This revision of the ENP focused on six main topics:

• stabilising the neighbourhood;
• moving from a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to the principle of ‘differentiation’, to reflect the ambitions and commitment of each partner country and increase ownership and partnership;
• promoting good governance, democracy, rule of law and human rights;
• joint priorities for cooperation, including: economic modernisation and entrepreneurship, employment with a focus on youths, partnership for growth, reform of the security sector, migration and mobility;
• the regional dimension in view of the Eastern Partnership and the Union for the Mediterranean and outreach beyond the ENP countries;
• more effective delivery of support and assistance.

In terms of the formal reporting structures of the ENP, the consultation process suggested that existing action plans and progress reports should be revised to reflect current priorities, in line with the new generation of association agendas.

In November 2017, the EU and Armenia signed a Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement. In 2017, the EU and Azerbaijan launched negotiations for a new comprehensive agreement. The EU has not yet ratified the bilateral Partnership and Cooperation Agreement concluded with Belarus in 1995. The association agreements signed on 27 June 2014 by Georgia and Moldova remain in force. The Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement part of the broader Association Agreement with Ukraine are in force since 2017.

The EU-Algeria Association Agreement was signed in April 2002 and entered into force in September 2005. The EU-Egypt Association Agreement is in force since 2004. The EU-Israel Association Agreement entered into force in June 2000. The Association Agreement between Jordan and the EU entered into force in May 2002. The Association Agreement between Lebanon and the EU entered into force in April 2006. The EU-Morocco Association Agreement entered into force in 2000; negotiations for a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between the EU and Morocco were launched on 1 March 2013. An Interim Association Agreement on Trade and Cooperation was concluded between the EU and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) on behalf of the Palestinian Authority in 1997. The EU-Syria Cooperation Agreement was signed in 1977. The EU-Tunisia Association Agreement entered into force in 1998; negotiations for a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between the EU and Tunisia were launched on 13 October 2015. The EU does not have a legal framework for bilateral relations with Libya.

Role of statistics in the ENP

Statistical cooperation is an integral part of broader cooperation policies. Statistics can help to improve the governance of countries through the development of evidence-based policymaking, transparency and democratic processes. The role of statistics in the ENP is to provide the foundations for better monitoring — by the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) — of the mutual commitments and objectives stipulated in bilateral action plans.

The statistical cooperation approach adopted for the ENP countries  is different from the processes linked to EU enlargement, as it does not prejudge how the relationship of the neighbouring countries with the EU may develop in the future. ENP countries are encouraged in their actions to get closer to European and international standards and to improve the availability and quality of their statistics.

The role of Eurostat in the ENP and the forms of cooperation between Eurostat and the ENP countries

Eurostat promotes evidence-based decision making and the use of European and international standards and methodology in the ENP countries.

External assessments (such as global assessment reports and peer reviews) help form a picture of the national statistical systems in ENP countries. The assessments give orientations for future actions and technical assistance. The final objective is to improve the availability and the quality of statistics in ENP countries.

Eurostat coordinates EU efforts to increase the statistical capacity of all ENP countries. One way to organise support is through regional programmes, such as the Statistics Through Eastern Partnership Programme (STEP) and MEDSTAT V programme.

ENP countries can also benefit of Twinning and TAIEX.

Outcomes

Statistical cooperation with ENP countries has already resulted in a wide range of improvements, to the benefit of both the partner countries and the EU.

One of these is data collection from the ENP countries and the dissemination of the collected data. The main means of disseminating the data are:

• Eurobase, Eurostat’s reference database — either in the ENP-East domain or the ENP-South domain;
• Publications highlighting statistics in the ENP countries;

Direct access to

Other articles

Tables

Database

Dedicated section

Publications

Methodology

Legislation

Visualisations

External links

• International statistical cooperation — online publication

• Eastern European Neighbourhood Policy countries (ENP-East) (enpe)
• Southern European Neighbourhood Policy countries (ENP-South) (enps)

• European Neighbourhood Policy countries

• All publications on European Neighbourhood Policy countries

• Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations — European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP)
• European External Action Service (EEAS) — European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP)

Notes