|
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
|
|
|
National Platforms: Eastern Partnership Countries Need EU Membership Perspective23 April 2014 Armenian, Belarusian, Georgian, Moldovan and Ukrainian National Platforms of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum adopted a joint statement calling on the European Union to recognize the European perspective for the Eastern Partnership States at the EaP Summit in Riga. The Summit will take place in a complex geopolitical situation related to the Russian military aggression and economic pressure on the Eastern Partnership countries, in response to the European choice declared by the Ukrainian, Georgian and Moldovan people. Currently, the Russian Federation takes advantage of the mentioned status quo and its aggressive information campaign attempts to strengthen the belief among the populations of the Eastern Partnership countries that there is no real chance of joining the EU. The EaP countries have gone a long and difficult way since their independence. The latest achievements of signing the EU Association Agreements by Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine are supposed to bring them closer to their ultimate goal of becoming members of the European Union. Realising the challenges related to introducing reforms in all spheres of public life, the people of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova have made a firm European choice. European perspective is also the only long-term reasonable alternative for the countries, which have not signed the EU Association Agreements yet, i.e. Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Belarus. The described challenges make the Riga Summit a crucial milestone where the United Europe should declare that the Eastern Partnership states have the right to apply for the EU membership despite the geopolitical tensions in the region. |
Project funded by the European Union
