Foreign

Home page

Foreign

MEPs call on EU to reconsider its relations with Eastern partnership countries

12 March 2014 15:13 (UTC +04:00)

The document says that despite improved relations with Moldova and Georgia, it "did not match all expectations" and showed the need to reform the EU's policies by going beyond normative objectives and "reaching the societies through bottom-up approaches." MEPs call for a reform to allow the EU to move beyond political dialogue and establish a direct relationship with the societies of Eastern countries. They call for a greater focus on "investing in immediate progress for citizens", in the form of visa-free regimes, education exchanges and supporting youth and future leaders.

"The current political developments show that we have no more time", said the EP's rapporteur on EU's priorities in relations with the EU's eastern partners Pawel Kowal (ECR, PL) in the debate preceding the vote. There was a need, he stressed, for immediate action to assist Ukraine and other eastern nations like Georgia and Moldova in resisting Russian influence, otherwise there was a risk that 'people will stop trusting the European Union."