ECIPE Webinar: Lessons from the Eastern Partnership – Views from EaP Countries

The Eastern Partnership initiative was launched in 2009. The period since then has been dramatic. Ukraine has been invaded. Armenia and Azerbaijan, two EaP countries, have fought a war against each other. For some countries, the bilateral track of the Eastern Partnership has resulted in EU accession status and negotiations. For Belarus, it is further away from cooperation with the EU now than in the EaP inception.

Europe’s relations with its Eastern neighbourhood countries remain crucial. Hopefully, the next 15 years won’t feature new wars, but the region will continue to develop. Geopolitical forces of change will remain strong – possibly exacerbated by changing dynamics in and between China, Russia, Turkey, and the United States. Economies will change too. And it all begs the questions: what has been learned from 15 years of the Eastern Partnership that can help guide the EU as it ponders what policies should come next?