The European Neighbourhood Policy and the settlement of post-Soviet conflicts

Implementing a more active policy towards the 'frozen conflicts' in the CIS was one of the elements of the European Neighbourhood Policy approved by the EU in 2004. It was inspired by the launch of the EU peacekeeping mechanism since 2003 and the adoption of the European Security Strategy in December 2003. Among the unresolved conflicts, the EU gave priority to the Transnistrian one. In the 2003-2005 period the EU significantly increased its participation in conflict resolution. It adopted sanctions against the Transnistrian leadership, torpedoed the Russian 'Kozak plan' of peace, sent observers to monitor the Moldova-Ukraine border, joined the multilateral negotiation mechanism, etc. However, a strong pro-Moldova stand of Brussels probably prevented the negotiations which were suspended in February 2006. The European Union continued to be passive in case of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, due to the nature of the situation, and the positions of the conflicting parties and some EU countries. It only offered political support for the OSCE Minsk Group. At the same time, the EU members succeeded in approving measures to promote the settlement of the Abkhazia and South Ossetia conflicts, but not to the same extent as it was done in the case of Transnistria. Given the deterioration of relations between Russia and Georgia in 2006, the EU tried to negotiate an additional package of confidence building measures to be implemented in the conflict zone, but it was interrupted by the Russian-Georgian war of 2008. The 2008 war encouraged the EU member states interest in the post-Soviet conflicts, but the impact of EU policy has remained low. Mediation between Moscow and Tbilisi, sending an observer mission, the co-chairmanship to "Geneva talks", funding social and economic projects and other steps have strengthened the EU presence in the Abkhazia and South Ossetia conflict area, but it was a belated action in view of Russia's recognition of the two territories. Informal multilateral negotiations on the Transnistria conflict resumed in 2007. The official negotiations restarted in 2011. The normalization of relations between Chisinau and Tiraspol urged the EU to conduct a more balanced policy. In 2010 the EU suspended the sanctions against the Transnistrian leadership. On the other hand, the EU members failed to approve the joint 'Meseberg initiative' of Berlin and Moscow that would win Russia's support in resolving the Transnistria conflict. Also, it is still unclear what impact EU-Moldova trade and visa liberalization will have on Transnistria, and how the two goals - Moldova and Transnistria's reunification and Moldova's integration with the EU - will correlate in EU policy. Finally, the EU as an alliance continues to be a bystander in regard to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

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