Does the strengthened European Neighbourhood Policy restore the balance between Southern and Eastern partner countries?

The preliminary budgetary analysis of the strengthened
European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) seems to indicate
significant discrepancies between the southern and the
eastern partners, to the detriment of the latter. However,
a comparison of funding per capita reveals that the
differences are much smaller than it may appear from the
levels of funding expressed in absolute numbers.

The relative imbalance with regard to the cooperation and
funding between the eastern and southern dimension of the
ENP is a real one, although there emerges a clear tendency
towards appreciation of the East.

The greatest dynamics have been recorded with regard to
the level of funding for Ukraine and Moldova. Moreover,
Ukraine is to be the first ENP country to conclude the ‘new
generation agreement’.

Poland should play a truly active role while lobbying for
further appreciation of the East. Close cooperation with
Germany appears to be indispensable to the success of this
mission. However, true commitment in this respect is still
to be seen.