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European Union
SPEECH/08/672
Benita Ferrero-Waldner
Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy
Ambitious New Partnership for the East
Polish Parliament
Poland, 27 November 2008
Mr Speaker,]
Ministers,
Senators,
Honourable Members of Parliament,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a pleasure to be in Warsaw today and an honour to address this
House.
Next year will be the 20^th anniversary of the fall of the Iron
Curtain. It will also be the 5^th anniversary of Poland's accession to
the EU. The Iron Curtain fell in 1989. But it started corroding a
decade earlier in the shipyards of Gdansk through brave action taken
by Polish workers. The courageous struggle of the Polish people for
democracy is engraved in the heart of European history. I salute that
courage. Europe as a whole salutes that courage.
In the 20 years since then, Poland has pioneered the sweeping changes
we have seen in Central Europe, paving the way for the accession of
the eight Central and Eastern European countries - nothing less than
the reunification of our continent. And since accession Poland has
been at the forefront of bringing our Eastern neighbours closer to our
Union.
So I am delighted that it is in Poland and before this House that I
can give a foretaste of proposals we will announce next week for the
EU's new "Eastern Partnership".
The countries we today refer to as our "Eastern Partners" - Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and the Ukraine - and depending on its
own choices Belarus - have become our neighbours as a result of
successive - and successful - enlargements.
But they are not only geographically closer. Their political systems
and economies are also closer as a result of reforms fostered by the
European Neighbourhood Policy.
These changes, Honourable Members, bring new opportunities, but also
new responsibilities, not least in the light of this summer's conflict
in Georgia. The EU has a vital strategic interest in seeing stability,
better governance and economic development at its Eastern borders. We
intend to pursue that interest and support our partners even more
strongly.
For their part, our Eastern Partners all seek to intensify their
relations with the EU. We intend to support those aspirations, this
"choice for Europe".
Ladies and Gentlemen, we want to build a new, ambitious partnership,
going well beyond the achievements of the European Neighbourhood
Policy. It should bring a lasting political message of solidarity,
with additional, tangible support for democratic and market-oriented
reforms and the consolidation of partners' statehood and territorial
integrity.
This is what we propose with the Eastern Partnership.Drawing inter
alia on Polish ideas, the Partnership will be flexible and tailored to
each partner's needs and capacity. In each case the EU will seek to
offer the maximum possible given political realities.
So how do we propose to deliver this? The Commission still has to take
final decisions so I can't reveal the whole package today, but I'd
like to sketch the key bilateral initiatives we are planning. I'll
touch on the multilateral aspects of the partnership later.
Let me stress five key elements of the Eastern Partnership:
A strong political bond with the European Union in the form of
Association Agreements.
better market access and free trade
higher mobility between us and our partners
our common energy security
and last but not least support for regional development.
First, with those partners ready and willing to take on far-reaching
commitments, we want to conclude Association Agreements.
Superseding current Partnership and Cooperation Agreements, these
"Associations" will formalise the step change in our engagement and
the bond between us. They will be the firm basis for a strong and
ambitious relationship.
They will also promote further convergence with EU legislation and
standards - key for business and investors - and advance cooperation
on the global stage through cooperation on both the Common Foreign and
Security Policy and European Security and Defence Policy.
Second, we want to promote free trade.
How? With a mix of instruments: In the short-term: through sectoral
support to provide immediate gains for business.
In the longer-term, the Association Agreements will provide for better
mutual market access and the creation of Deep and Comprehensive Free
Trade Areas, once partner countries have joined the WTO.
This will enable the free movement of goods, capital and services much
as our own market does.
In short: We want to use the power of attraction of our internal
market - the world's largest - to stabilize our partners and create
prosperity.
In parallel, we'd like to encourage partners to develop a free trade
network between themselves which could, in the longer term, join up
into a Neighbourhood Economic Community.
Of course, not all partners are yet ready to undertake negotiations or
implement a Free Trade Area with the EU.
But we can help them reach the necessary state of readiness for this.
This is just one reason why the Eastern Partnership will introduce
innovative Comprehensive Institution Building programmes with each
partner, to help them develop the capacity to undertake the
challenging reforms needed to bring them closer to Europe.
Third, we want to encourage the free movement of people.
This is clearly a litmus test for the credibility of our enhanced
European offer - and for the Neighbourhood Policy as a whole. Our
Union must gradually open our borders - but of course in a smart,
secure, controlled way.
Poland and other Member States had a visa-free regime with their
eastern neighbours until recently, and they have understandable
reasons for wanting to return to this situation. The EU will therefore
offer the Eastern Partners "Mobility and Security Pacts" to promote
legal movement of people.
Visa policy will follow a phased approach. We recommend the EU to
initiate talks on visa facilitation with partners who do not yet
benefit from it; for those who do, provide additional facilitation
including the waiving of fees; improve Member State consular coverage
through Common Visa Application centres; and, longer-term, open
dialogues on visa-free travel with all partners.
Fourth, we want to guarantee our mutual energy security. We will
propose:
The inclusion of "Energy interdependence" chapters in the Association
Agreements;
The swift completion of negotiations on Ukraine's and Moldova's
membership in the Energy Community;
The conclusion of Energy Memoranda of Understanding with Moldova,
Georgia and Armenia;
Enhanced political engagement with Azerbaijan, as a major hydrocarbon
exporting partner to the EU.
Finally, a Commission-Belarus declaration on energy, covering
hydrocarbon transit and energy sector reform.
Fifth, we will aim to promote partners' sustainable development.
Drawing on the experience of EU regional development policies, we will
help partners address
economic and social disparities, and improve conditions in their less
developed regions, thereby laying the foundations for prosperity - in
their interest and ours.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This is a long list. But one I hope which illustrates the seriousness
of our intent. The Eastern Partnership represents a substantial
upgrade in the level of our engagement.
And that is not all. I said at the start that I would mention the
partnership's multilateral aspects. We will also create a New
Multilateral Framework for the relationship to be launched at a Summit
meeting next spring.
This will enable us to support partners' individual ambitions, in a
forum where common challenges can be addressed, experience shared, and
joint activities undertaken. Above all it will give us a new way to
accompany partners' own reform efforts by explaining EU legislation
and standards.
In all of the work I have described, we will involve a wide range of
stakeholders, not least parliaments. I hope, once again in this, that
we will see the active participation of Poland and Members of this
House.
But, Ladies and Gentlemen, we all know that "Advice is judged by
results, not by intentions", as ancient Roman Statesman Cicero warned
us.
So let us be clear: I believe that now is the time to act and to make
an ambitious political investment, not only in the interests of our
partners to the East, but also those of our own citizens. I believe,
Ladies and Gentlemen, that the Eastern partnership will yield
stability and prosperity "dividends" for years to come.
But, as with so much else in European construction, we need the
Political Will of Member States to deliver.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Eastern Partnership will be based on the principle of joint
ownership and, as in all of the EU's partnerships, frank dialogue
about reform. Before closing I wanted therefore, in view of recent
developments, to touch briefly on two Eastern partners: the Ukraine
and Belarus. I thought a few words on Russia would also be
appropriate.
Poland has made an important contribution to the EU's understanding of
countries like Ukraine and Belarus.
I think we can all be satisfied with the outcome of deliberations
earlier in the year which led to the granting to Ukraine of an
"Association Agreement" which can now become the model for others in
the Eastern Partnership. .
I am happy to report that negotiations are progressing well, including
now on the trade track, and that a visa dialogue was launched at the
end of October.
Nevertheless, the continuing political instability is a matter of
concern, and we all have a part to play in urging the political forces
in Ukraine to focus on the serious challenges facing their country in
terms of economic and political reform: constitutional reform, reform
of the judiciary and the implementation of measures to strengthen the
business and investment climate.
As for Belarus, progress in reform is unfortunately slow, but offers
opportunities which we must seize.
I welcome recent announcements by Belarus to allow certain opposition
media to print within the country, and to seek advice on improving
electoral legislation.
These are positive and encouraging developments and we look forward to
their implementation.
But, reform efforts must not stop there. Other important steps should
include better conditions for registration of NGOs, freedom of
assembly and there should be no new political prisoners.
We are therefore pursuing our talks with the authorities in a
constructive manner in order to keep conveying our message.
Meanwhile, the Commission has intensified its technical cooperation
with Belarus. This will have to be backed with an appropriate increase
in our technical assistance. The recent Council decision to suspend
some of our restrictive measures was clear: the EU is ready to engage
with Belarus, but Belarus must do its part too - by continuing recent
positive trends.
As to Russia: we resumed our negotiations for a new agreement, which
had been postponed after the Georgia crisis. Our comprehensive review
of EU-Russia relations has shown the complexity and interdependence of
our mutual relationship. For that reason it serves our best interests
to continue these talks. But let me tackle some misperceptions.
The resumption of negotiations between the EU and Russia on a new
Cooperation Agreement should not be interpreted as "business as
usual".
We do not accept the status quo in Georgia. The EU continues to
support the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of
Georgia - which needs to be restored.
While some advances have been made, we made clear to the Russians at
the recent summit that much remains to be done. The Geneva process is
therefore extremely important and has our full support.
The Commission is notably concerned about: the continuing presence of
the Russian military in Abkhazia and South Ossetia including adjacent
territories; access for humanitarian and reconstruction experts;
military build-up and the need to ensure the safe return of Internally
Displaced People.
These negotiations will not be easy and I promise you, we will clearly
pursue our interests in these talks and ensure that Europe achieves
its objectives in the interests of our citizens.
Ladies and Gentlemen, let me conclude:
I mentioned in opening that next year will be the 20^th anniversary of
the fall of the Iron Curtain. It will also be the 10^th anniversary of
Pope John Paul II's historic address to this Parliament in which he
endorsed Poland's efforts to join the European Union. And could his
Holiness see Poland's place in the heart of Europe today, I think he
would be extremely proud.
I would like to take this occasion to pay tribute to him. A towering
figure of hope for so many during the Cold War, and without whom, as
Mikhail Gorbachev once said, it would not have ended, he was also a
Great European.
In his speech here, Pope John Paul II spoke of: "the two lungs with
which Europe should breathe ... East and West"
He said that politicians should realise that there was an "urgent need
for new initiatives which might serve the integration of Europe".
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are heeding his call. I would argue that the
Eastern Partnership is precisely one such transformative initiative.
Poland has played a pioneering role in its inception. I know that we
can count on Poland, and this House's, full support to ensure
delivery.
"Niech zyje Polska, niech zyje Europa!"
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