Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘10 years of Eastern Partnership: reflecting on achievements and shaping the future policy of the EaP’

(own-initiative opinion)

(2020/C 14/04)

Rapporteur: Indrė VAREIKYTĖ

Plenary Assembly decision	20.2.2019
Legal basis	Rule 32(2) of the Rules of Procedure Own-initiative opinion
Section responsible	External Relations
Adopted in section	5.9.2019
Adopted at plenary	26.9.2019
Plenary session No	546
Outcome of vote (for/against/abstentions)	155/3/6

1.   Conclusions and recommendations

1.1.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) believes that the Eastern Partnership (EaP) is a much-needed and potentially successful initiative of the EU and calls for the newly-elected European Parliament and the European Commission to fully commit to it. The EESC also commits to remaining highly involved in building stronger and more democratic societies in the neighbouring countries (1).

1.2.

While the prime achievements of the EaP are the association agreements (AA), including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) and visa-free travel agreements with Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine (Associated TRIO), more and better targeted progress is expected from the partnership during the next decade.

1.3.

The Committee highlights that while the Associated TRIO have shown higher progress and willingness to introduce reforms, together with Armenia following the good example, Belarus and Azerbaijan have mainly stagnated and, in some instances, moved further away from the definition of democracy.

1.4.

The EESC believes that the EU is first of all a union of values, thus the relations with its neighbours should also be based upon the same values and become conditional.

1.5.

The Committee identifies the following as major challenges ahead within the EaP: effective implementation of AA/DCFTA and other related commitments, strengthening the rule of law, the implementation of judicial reforms and the fight against corruption; further protecting the environment and actively tackling climate change; increasing societal resilience by countering hybrid threats and disinformation; strengthening the environment for civil society and a free and independent media; and stepping up EU engagement to help improve the lives of citizens affected by the conflicts in the region.

1.6.

The EESC recommends that the Commission set up tailor-made objectives and deliverables for each partner country for the next period of the EaP. Civil society’s participation in this process will be crucial in order to have an additional instrument to actively monitor progress.

1.7.

The EESC suggests setting a schedule for compulsory consecutive progress assessments to encourage the EaP governments to create their own plans in addition to bilateral roadmaps and to carry out and monitor the implementation of deliverables and objectives.

1.8.

The Committee also recommends progressively increasing the amount of indicators and data the EaP countries are required to submit to Eurostat.

1.9.

In the light of disinformation promoted by Russian Government and aggressive Chinese and Russian investment project campaigns, and other threats in the region, the EU institutions must rethink the communication strategy for the EaP region in order to reach citizens.

1.10.

The EESC believes that more focus and tools are required to improve the skills of civil society organisations (CSOs), public servants and political leaders in the EaP countries, as well as to build the capacities of trade unions and business associations.

1.11.

The Committee believes that higher priority should be given to remedying skills gaps and mismatches in the EaP countries, improving the general effectiveness of education, and to strengthening the links between education, research and innovation, in order to enhance cooperation between the public and private sectors.

1.12.

Even though trade between the EaP countries and the EU is increasing, intraregional trade should be strengthened in order to ensure trade income diversification and sustainability.

1.13.

The EESC strongly believes that there has to be a mandatory legal framework that would enable civil society to access information, hold the government accountable and take part in policy-making processes in each of the EaP countries.

1.14.

The Committee strongly supports the motion to introduce enhanced dialogue on AA/DCFTA related reforms between the EU and the Associated TRIO, to include comparative elements in the AA country specific recommendations and to synchronise their release to foster positive competition.

2.   General remarks

2.1.

Launched in 2009 as a joint policy initiative, the EaP aims to deepen and strengthen relations between the European Union, its Member States and its six Eastern neighbours: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.

2.2.

Within this framework, all partners agreed to deliver tangible benefits for the daily lives of their citizens by strengthening institutions and good governance, ensuring the rule of law and its enforceability, implementing key judicial reforms, fighting against corruption; increasing engagement with civil society, empowering women and ensuring gender balance, strengthening strategic communication and supporting plurality and independence of the media; helping small and medium-sized businesses grow, attracting investments, creating quality jobs in new sectors, increasing trade opportunities by supporting access to new markets; improving transport links and infrastructure, boosting energy resilience and efficiency, as well as the use of renewable energy; and investing in young people’s skills, entrepreneurship and employability.

2.3.

While the three AA/DCFTA and visa-free travel agreements with the signatory states are highly commendable achievements, regrettably, the general progress observed in most of the aforementioned areas is moderate, with no previously set deliverables as yet fully achieved.

2.4.

The EESC believes that the EU is first of all a union of values (2), and thus its relations with its neighbourhood should also be based upon those same values. There should be more conditionality in the EaP and clear, mutually agreed pathways with the EaP countries to ensure human rights, civil, media and press freedoms, the rule of law, transparent governance, gender equality, social dialogue, environmental protection and other basic values, without which the Europe of today would be unimaginable. The whole region will benefit most when the EU’s neighbouring democracies are on a par with the EU. Partner states should also present a timeline for ratifying all 18 International Human Rights Treaties (3) and gaining (or maintaining) the ‘A’ accreditation status from the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (4).

2.5.

The Committee recognises the need for clear and measurable deliverables and recommends the Commission setting tailor-made objectives and deliverables for each partner country for the next period of the EaP. It is crucial to ensure that the future objectives and deliverables focus not only on the economic indicators, but also on social prosperity and well-being. Focusing only on economic development has proven to not yield the anticipated results. For example, the total amount of EU grants to Ukraine will reach EUR 4,8 billion by 2020 (5), yet it remains the poorest country in the region.

2.6.

Civil society’s participation in this process will be crucial in order to make the planned reforms less vulnerable to election cycles and political shifts. The transformation process and the implementation of the necessary reforms can only be done by involving the social partners and civil society organisations in the legislative process, reforms and their implementation. To that end, business associations and support organisations should be involved in the processes of designing and implementing the strategies for economic development and regional cooperation.

2.7.

In order to be fully implemented and sustainable, deliverables need to have strong local ownership. If they are not identified, discussed, supported and implemented in cooperation with local civil society, the results achieved might easily be reversed. Furthermore, so far the main actors responsible for implementation have been the European Commission and the relevant EaP ministries, while the governments, which have to ensure continuous political will for reforms, are not yet included among the main actors when it comes to reaching the targets (6).

2.8.

When planning the next set of long-term objectives, more attention should be given to monitoring the progress of their implementation. So far, the assessment has mainly been carried out by the European External Action Service (EEAS) and civil society in the EaP countries. The EESC suggests setting a schedule for compulsory consecutive progress assessment to encourage the EaP governments to create their own plans in addition to bilateral roadmaps and to carry out and monitor the implementation of deliverables and objectives.

2.9.

The EESC recommends considering progressively increasing the amount of indicators and data EaP countries are required to submit to Eurostat, in order to ensure closer monitoring of the progress on key reforms and ensure more transparent and objective assessment. The AA/DCFTA countries should have a clear timeline to eventually reach the same level of data deliverance to Eurostat as the EU Member States.

2.10.

In order to measure the impact of civil society’s involvement in EaP reforms, the Committee proposes preparing a comparative analysis, which would measure the differences in achievements and civil society’s impact in the countries with domestic advisory groups (DAGs) and the rest of the EaP partners.

2.11.

The Committee strongly believes that the current priority for the newly-elected European Parliament and the European Commission is to reach a consensus on the association and, possibly, membership prospects for the EaP states, which are willing and able to join the EU within the foreseeable future. Both the progress and planning towards this are severely hindered by the lack of a clear vision on what is the final objective and the prize for all the efforts for each partner country if it fully implements the objectives and deliverables set out.

2.12.

In the longer term, the EaP strategy after 2020 could entail the liberalisation of some services, including financial services, accession of the associated countries to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) and, through the AA/DCFTA, to the European Economic Area (EEA), deepening integration in the field of the digital market, e.g. in data transmission, and extending the freedom of movement for professionals through the conclusion of agreements with the EU on mutual recognition of professional qualifications.

2.13.

Promotion of EU values was and remains the key idea behind EaP policy. The support for closer relations and, eventually, EU membership remains high among EaP citizens; however, changing people’s mentality requires long-term efforts. While the importance of respecting the rule of law, paying taxes and avoiding a grey economy is recognised by most EU citizens, in EaP countries, due to the economic situation, people struggle every day to survive and thus do not prioritise accepting certain EU values.

2.14.

In order to improve the management and increase the effectiveness of the support schemes and instruments aimed at ensuring inclusive participation of civil society in the overarching processes of the EaP, consideration should be given to concentrating such instruments under the EESC due to its unparalleled capacities, experience in the field, institutional history and societal permeability.

2.15.

In the light of the fact of disinformation promoted by Russian Government, as well as the aggressive information campaigns of Chinese and Russian investment projects, and other threats in the area, have an enormous impact on society, the EU institutions must rethink the communication strategy for the EaP region. One of the proven ways to spread information about the values, goals, impact and good examples of cooperation with the EU is to empower local CSOs by simply helping them to achieve a better impact in their everyday work.

2.16.

The EU should continue to contribute to a peaceful settlement of conflicts in the EaP region. Approaches such as the European Partnership for the Peaceful Settlement of the Conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh (EPNK), where CSOs from EU Member States and EaP countries join together in a common effort to build mutual understanding of and confidence in the settlement process, should be multiplied.

3.   Society

3.1.

The most recent funding schemes for EaP organised civil society organisations has a condition — for civil society to work on AA implementation and reforms, CSOs have to become agents of the EU and sometimes work on topics that are not natural for them. Due to this condition, CSOs are simply applying for funding that is available, instead of focusing on their goals and what is needed for society, and are thereby turning into another service provider.

3.2.

EU CSOs report, and comparative data confirm (7), that the majority of their EaP counterparts lack even basic project management skills, including how to prepare project proposals and budgets. Therefore, the role of EU organisations in delivering results related to monitoring reforms, preparing shadow reports, analyses on different issues and recommendations remains very important. The EESC believes that less qualified CSOs in EaP countries should not be ignored or unappreciated, but simply that expectations regarding them should be realistic: they are important actors in their communities, but they should not be expected to do what experienced European organisations are capable of delivering.

3.3.

The EESC therefore recommends that the Commission, in partnership with the EU Member States, establish an accessible educational programme focusing on improving the skills of the representatives of CSOs, public servants and leaders of the EaP countries. Such a programme could also address the lack of competencies which the representatives of CSOs face when entering public service, as was the case after the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine and the Velvet Revolution in Armenia.

3.4.

Furthermore, the Committee believes that priority should be clearly given to the support schemes and partnership inclusion for youth organisations in the EaP states and to further supporting their participation in international cooperation and mobility programmes (e.g. Youth in Action and Erasmus+). The establishment of European schools, such as the one in Tbilisi, Georgia, in the rest of the EaP states could be a good start in order to boost the standard of education in the image of the best examples from the EU Member States.

3.5.

The EESC believes that the social cohesion agenda must remedy skills gaps and mismatches in the EaP countries to improve the general effectiveness of education by adapting the best examples and systems from their EU counterparts. The quality of education enabling innovation is still low within the region and there is therefore a need to reform the educational systems and involve relevant civil society organisations and practitioners in designing curricula. It is necessary to improve links between education, research and innovation to enhance cooperation between the public and private sectors (8).

3.6.

The Committee welcomes the involvement of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and its Pan-European Regional Council (PERC) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) in building the capacity of independent trade unions in the EaP countries. Such projects and initiatives are important for the promotion of the European social model, including social dialogue and social security as well as collective bargaining. The existence of strong independent trade union organisations is crucial for successful sustainable growth and social progress resulting from the transformation processes linked to the implementation of association or partnership agreements. Strong trade unions are also a precondition for a successful and vibrant civil society.

4.   Economy

4.1.

Building economic resilience and improving competitiveness are at the heart of the EU’s cooperation with EaP countries, with the focus on working together to create jobs and develop stronger, more diversified, vibrant and sustainable economies. Significant progress has been made in this area, including the increase in trade between all six partner countries and the EU.

4.2.

The EESC finds that commitments to harmonise digital markets within the EaP region are not yet effectively implemented, thus hindering progress and the development of digital services. At the same time, the EESC applauds the consensus reached on plans for a roaming agreement for the region by 2020, which would not only increase access to communications for people, but could also boost tourism and have wider economic benefits.

4.3.

Even though the trade between the EaP countries and the EU is increasing, more effort should be given to strengthen intraregional trade, in order to ensure trade income diversification and sustainability.

4.4.

The EESC believes that regional trade integration leading to a common economic space, free roaming, a common migration area, synchronisation of electricity networks, the development of independent clean energy sources and conversion of agriculture standards to EU standards should be considered and developed as the most important economic projects common both to the EaP partners and to the EU as a whole.

4.5.

The Committee stresses the need to develop independent business associations and support organisations in the region. Such organisations need to be more and better involved in business development and DCFTA implementation. At the same time, EaP SMEs need to establish associations and/or umbrella organisations, which would represent their interests and make them stronger when it comes to advocating their interests in the legislative process and securing a share in local and EU markets.

5.   Governance

5.1.

Scaling up efforts in the area of strengthening institutions and good governance is a top priority for the EU in the EaP countries where challenges remain. In particular, more efforts need to be made regarding the rule of law, the implementation of key judicial reforms, and in the fight against corruption. These are the preconditions for citizens’ trust in the state, long-term stability and an investment-safe climate.

5.2.

The Committee draws attention to the fact that legislation for mandatory government consultations with the public only exist in the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. There has to be a mandatory legal framework that would enable civil society to access information, hold the government accountable and take part in policy-making processes. In addition, in order to strengthen civil society organisations, the governments of EaP countries need to commit to more consistent and direct support for CSOs.

5.3.

Regarding capacity building, institutions in EaP countries that are well-functioning and capable of carrying out the necessary reforms are more crucial than ever, thus twinning arrangements between them (e.g. a network of food safety agencies, standardisation bodies, anti-corruption agencies, etc.) should be formalised and possibly supported by the EU.

5.4.

Joint capacity building, twinning and networking arrangements, sharing of practices, and development of joint approaches and tools could be all supported through a joint association facility. Consideration could also be given to financing the reform teams along the lines developed for Ukraine.

5.5.

The EESC also underlines the need to assist the EaP governments and civil society in developing the tools necessary to assess and address gender inequalities. It is crucial to ensure that support to state statistical offices covers the collection of trade and gender statistics, including through specific questions in household and business surveys, and specific indicators to monitor trade-related impacts over time.

6.   Connectivity

6.1.

The EU’s work with partner countries to improve transport links and infrastructure, boost energy resilience and efficiency, as well as the use of renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has resulted in significant progress. Continuing to invest in these areas will lead to greater sustainable economic development and concrete benefits for the lives of citizens by creating alternative energy sources, reducing energy dependence on predominantly single supplier and consumption.

6.2.

The Committee therefore stresses the importance of further energy diversification, reducing CO2 emissions and setting up effective national emissions monitoring mechanisms, as well as of stepping up action on biodiversity protection and sustainable forest management.

7.   Association agreements/Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area

7.1.

The Committee strongly supports the motion to introduce enhanced dialogue on AA/DCFTA related reforms between the EU and the Associated TRIO, the inclusion of comparative elements in the AA country specific recommendations and the synchronisation of their release to foster positive competition, as this already proved effective in accelerating progress in central and eastern Europe.

7.2.

Further institutionalising cooperation among the Associated TRIO and the EU is recommended, particularly at the executive level. Creating a joint executive group and some sub-groups echoing the institutionalisation process at the level of parliaments could be a good starting point. It could be followed by similar groupings of organised civil society within the EaP civil society platforms, business associations and support organisations, trade unions and others. Experience and networks created through the GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development cooperation could be used as an example. The support of the EU and its individual Member States would lend significant support to such institutionalisation.

7.3.

Due to its complexity, AA/DCFTA is difficult to implement as it requires significant political, financial and human resources and is full of challenges, especially as it is directed towards market reforms, while the main genuine expectations of the EU reforms are the rule of law and good governance. The Committee believes that it is crucial to reflect such expectations and support the implementation of the AA/DCFTA with parallel initiatives to strengthen the associated democracies. Additional support mechanisms, which would only be provided following the full implementation of mutually agreed objectives within such parallel initiatives, could be considered and would also serve as an additional motivator.

7.4.

The EESC also highly recommends regularly addressing women’s labour rights and wage issues, particularly in industry and services sectors where the biggest — and most varying — gaps appear to occur. The AA/DCFTA approximation agenda offers a comprehensive approach in terms of legislative action and enforcement of international conventions, including on gender and anti-discrimination. It is crucial to monitor this process, improve the collection of sex-disaggregated statistics on employment and wages, and support women’s groups in advocating their interests.

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(1)  Over the last decade, the EESC has adopted more than a dozen opinions on various aspects of the EaP. It has also established a permanent Eastern Neighbours Follow-up Committee, formed bilateral civil society platforms of EU-EaP countries, as well as domestic advisory groups (DAGs), and organised the EaP Business Forums alongside the EaP summits.

(2)  Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2016/C 202/02).

(3)  https://indicators.ohchr.org

(4)  https://nhri.ohchr.org/

(5)  Rebuilding Ukraine: An assessment of EU assistance, Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, 2018.

(6)  EaP CSF policy brief, Joint Staff Working Document, ‘EaP — Focusing on key priorities and deliverables — Assessment and recommendations by the civil society’, 2017.

(7)  Ukraine Analytica, Issue 3 (13), 2018.

(8)  http://eu4business.eu/files/medias/regional-position-paper_final_kyiv-21-june-2017-2_0.pdf