5th Eastern Partnership Summit takes place in Brussels with a focus on delivering tangible results to citizens
On Friday 24 November, the 5th Eastern Partnership Summit will take place in Brussels. The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, will represent the European Union alongside Heads of State or Government from the EU Member States and the six Eastern partner countries, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini and Commissioners Johannes Hahn and Cecilia Malmström will also participate. The Summit will be a key moment for the leaders to reflect on a number of significant achievements that have been accomplished since the last Eastern Partnership (EaP)Summit in Riga in May 2015: Association Agreements including Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas have entered into force with Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine; citizens of Georgia, Moldova (since April 2014) and Ukraine can now travel without a visa to the Schengen area for short-stays; trade between the EU and the region has increased significantly; the EU has ramped up its support to civil societyand engagement with young people, has helped to improve the business and media environments in the region, has broadened the digital landscape in thepartner countries, and has increased the number of opportunities for citizens of the European Union and of the region to travel, research or study abroad. At the Summit, leaders will endorse the 20 deliverables for 2020 (full document here), which constitutes a clear work plan for the future across the four priority areas: stronger economies; stronger governance; stronger connectivity; and stronger societies. The leaders will endorse a revised multilateral institutional set-up for the Eastern Partnership, providing for stronger political guidance and a more results-oriented approach to our cooperation. A number of bilateral agreements are also expected to be taken forward in the margins of the Summit. President Juncker will, together with President Tuskand the Prime Minister of Estonia, Jüri Ratas, hold a joint press conference at 15:30. Arrival doorsteps are scheduled from 8:15. Coverage of the Summit will be available on EbS (stockshot selection here). Factsheets on the 20 deliverables for 2020, on the EU’s relations with each of the 6 partner countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine), debunking common EaP myths, and on each of the Summit’s side events are available on the Summit website.
