| Author (Corporate) | Lithuania: Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
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| Publisher | Lithuania: Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| Publication Date | November 2013 |
| Content Type | Key Source, News, Overview |
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Eastern Partnership, as one of the priorities of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU (July-December 2013), is a natural choice, determined by Lithuanian and the EU interest to have safe, economically strong and pro-European Eastern Neighbours. The effectiveness of the Eastern Partnership could be achieved on the joint efforts of the EU institutions, EU Member States and Eastern Partners themselves. On the basis of the Eastern Partnership initiative the EU aims to strengthens bilateral and multilateral cooperation with the six Eastern European partners: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, supports reforms of these countries and seeks to bring them closer to the EU. Over the five years up to 2013 the Eastern Partnership initiative has provided some tangible results. It is negotiating three Association Agreements (including Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA)): Association Agreement (including DCFTA) with Ukraine has been negotiated, initialled and prepared for signing; considerable progress in the processes of visa facilitation and liberalization regimes has been made, after having completed association negotiations with Moldova and Georgia in June – July 2013; the structure of multilateral dimension has been functioning (it allows to exchange the experience, information and implement practical projects in the respective countries), sectorial cooperation has been further enhanced, and such formats, involving various public groups into cooperation under the Eastern Partnership, as Civil Society Forum, Conference of the Regional and Local Authorities, Business Forum and Youth Forum. The third Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius The third Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius will be held on the 28-29 November, 2013. Highest representatives of the EU institutions, 28 EU member states and the six Eastern European partners were expected to take part in the EaP Vilnius Summit. The event was hosted by the President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė, President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, and José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission. Eastern Partnership Summits are held every two years (the first two took place in the Czech Republic (Prague), 7 May, 2009 and in Poland (Warsaw), 29-30 September, 2011). During these meetings the implementation and the accomplishments of the Eastern Partnership are discussed, the objectives for the next two years are determined and the prospects for the future are drawn. The results of the meeting are reflected in the Joint Declaration, which becomes the starting point for further development of the Eastern Partnership. |
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| Source Link | http://www.eu2013.lt/en//vilnius-summit |
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| Countries / Regions | Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Europe, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Ukraine |
