Building the conceptual, institutional and financial framework of the European Neighborhood Policy during the period of 2002-2004

The coming 2004 enlargement pushed the European Union to change its policy towards the future neighboring CIS countries. The 'partnership' model elaborated in the 1990s did not provide preferential treatment and was poorly resourced. The negotiations the EU Member States began in April 2002 on the initiative of the United Kingdom first concerned Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. Later, at the southern Member States' insistence, South and East Mediterranean states were put on the agenda. After the "Rose Revolution" in Georgia, the three states of South Caucasus also became partner countries of the new EU foreign policy initiative that was finally named 'European Neighborhood Policy' (ENP). Poland was the most active among the candidate countries to try to influence EU negotiations. It was speaking up for an association with the CIS states, and for their integration into the EU in the long term. The general framework of the ENP was approved in June 2003, a more detailed strategy was adopted in June 2004. The ENP basically left out the question of the integration of its partner countries into the EU. It prescribed instead to use the mechanisms of rapprochement between the EU and the neighboring countries that were typical of the concept of association: wide implementation of EU law into their national legislation, liberalization of trade and visa regimes, participation in the EU sectoral programs and projects, cooperation on foreign and security policy. The EU assistance in conflict resolution was considered as an additional tool of the ENP. When elaborating the ENP, the European Union largely relied on the experience of its enlargement and preparation for 2004 expansion. However, the lack of such a key incentive as the prospect of EU membership led to the limited application of political conditionality in the ENP design. The allocation of additional funds to provide neighboring countries with economic assistance was postponed until the next financial cycle of 2007-2013. The provisions of the ENP were not identical to the Mediterranean and East European countries. The relationship of the latter with the EU did not take an official status of association. Trade liberalization was still a matter for debate, while regarding the Mediterranean countries the declared task was to expand free trade to other sectors in addition to industrial goods. The ENP inauguration did not cancel the multilateral institutions of the Barcelona Process, while in respect of its eastern neighbors the EU was to use only bilateral diplomacy. The ENP strategy was hardly in line with expectations of the neighboring countries, especially the pro-Western governments in Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. The goals of the ENP should be ensured through the implementation of bilateral "action plans" that the EU signed with Moldova and Ukraine in February 2005 and with the Caucasus states in November 2006. Because of the EU concerns about political process Belarus was not invited to participate in the ENP mechanisms.

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