Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-09-27-Speech-2-633-000"
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"en.20110927.31.2-633-000"2
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"I am very pleased to be able to address honourable Members in advance of the Eastern partnership summit, which is to be held in Warsaw at the end of this week. Mr President, this House has been a consistent supporter of the Eastern partnership and you, Mr President, will speak at this event on behalf of the Parliament. I welcome your personal commitment, your presence at the summit, and I pay tribute to my colleague, Štefan Füle, for the immense work that he has put into the Eastern partnership in every possible way to support its development.
We have been unequivocal in the face of clear repression of democratic and human rights in Belarus in last December’s presidential elections and since that time. We have imposed sanctions against the regime and called for the immediate release and rehabilitation of all political prisoners. At the same time, we have increased our assistance to Belarusian civil society.
Following the review of the neighbourhood policy that Štefan and I undertook, a key element is that the EU applies more conditionality in its actions, linking them more closely to the efforts made by our partners towards reform. That means more financial support, closer political cooperation, deeper economic integration for those partners who embark on deep reforms. It is what is called ‘more for more’.
Another important ingredient of this new Neighbourhood Policy is that some support will now be redirected towards non-governmental organisations as we build partnerships with civil society. We have the tools to make this happen through the new Neighbourhood Civil Society Facility and we are working on the establishment of a new European Endowment for Democracy to support change in the neighbourhood. I thank honourable Members who participated in giving us advice on both of these.
But, Mr President, the conflicts in the region in Nagorno-Karabakh, in Transnistria, in Abkhazia and South Ossetia are perhaps the most concerning obstacles to progress. We expect our European partners to do the most they can to make progress towards peaceful settlement, just as we are making specific dedicated efforts to deal with the many challenges these conflicts pose.
In August, on my recommendation, the Council approved the appointment of Philippe Lefort as the EU Special Representative to the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia. His mandate includes contributing to the peaceful settlement of conflicts in accordance with the principles of international law, working closely with all involved.
Of course Nagorno-Karabakh remains high on our agenda. In support to the Minsk Group, we are in a dialogue with all the parties to help find a shared solution.
Mr President, we have the will and capacity to take action in support of conflict stabilisation and settlement. We established the EU Monitoring Mission after the war in Georgia and we are co-chairing the Geneva international talks. In Transnistria, we have played a part in ensuring a decision on the resumption of the official negotiations in the ‘5 + 2’ format was taken on 22 September and we are looking forward to a negotiating process in which all parties will act in good faith and the spirit of cooperation.
Mr President, we are all committed to making this summit in Warsaw a success, to give renewed momentum to building the closest relationship with our Eastern partners and neighbours, and to give strong messages on the need for them to act appropriately to develop deep democracy and to make sure that we have the rule of law in action.
The strengthening of our relationship with our neighbours is a key priority and I said at the beginning of my time in office that I considered this to be the first priority for the European Union and the one on which we should be judged. Our Eastern neighbours have changed dramatically in the last twenty years, but it remains vital for us to help them sustain the process of transition, towards democracy and a market economy. This process, of course, is not only in their interest, but we would argue in our interests, as it enhances our own security and prosperity.
It was in May 2009 that we launched the Eastern partnership as a framework in which to build up political association and economic integration with six countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. We have made some progress in the last two years and strengthened those bilateral relationships with those partners. This year, we want to finalise negotiations for an association agreement with Ukraine, including a deep and comprehensive free trade area. We also aim to launch negotiations on deep and comprehensive free trade areas with Moldova and Georgia once they meet the requirements.
In addition, we have made progress on mobility, implementing visa action plans with Ukraine and Moldova, and visa facilitation and readmission agreements came into force with Georgia a few months ago. We want to launch negotiations on a similar basis with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus in the future.
In Warsaw, we will be meeting in the context of those relationships. Our partnership extends way beyond governments to links between peoples. I strongly support this Parliament’s efforts to enhance its links with Eastern counterparts, to the creation of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly. Civil society and business forums have been set up within the partnership and both will meet in the margins of the Warsaw Summit. Štefan Füle will participate in those.
In addition, over the last four years, more than 2 000 students and academics from Eastern partnership countries have been funded to study in the EU. We believe that this partnership is built on mutual accountability and responsibility and a shared commitment to the principles of democracy, human rights, freedoms and the rule of law.
In Poland, we will leave our partners in no doubt that the EU’s acknowledgment of their European aspirations and their European choice goes hand in hand with our expectations for their commitment to progressing towards deep and sustainable democracy.
Mr President, our partners are at different stages and our role is to give practical support to that process of political association and economic integration within the EU.
Early this month, I conveyed a strong message to Ukraine, stressing that respect for democratic principles and the rule of law, including the right to fair and independent legal processes, must remain the basis of our future relations. Štefan Füle and I are particularly concerned about the cases against Yulia Tymoshenko and other members of her government and plans to revert to earlier electoral systems against international advice. As I have already indicated, Štefan has been working closely with Ukraine over these past months to deliver these messages and to develop the relationship in order that they are able to move forward."@en1
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