Armenian News – NEWS.am presents the abridged version of the article by Gabriele Schöler, Senior Project Manager of Bertelsmann Stiftung and Stefani Weiss, Director of the Bertelsmann Stiftung's Brussels Office, published in EurActiv:
“In theory, having a policy strategy that guides your relations with your immediate neighbours is certainly a good thing to have. After all, states that are well-governed, share your values of democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights are more stable, peace-loving and make better friends.
But all theory is grey. Instead of being surrounded by a “ring of friends” all we are witnessing is an “arc of crisis and instability” stretching from the European Union’s eastern borders down to the Mediterranean basin.
In consequence, the EU is back to zero. The last-minute withdrawal of Armenia to sign a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with the EU and even more so the fierce conflict with Russia in and over Ukraine that emanated precisely because Ukraine ultimately signed a DCFTA has led to a second rethink in less than four years.
The European Commission and the European External Action Service are tasked together to deliver a new policy framework by June this year. Consultations are under way. But whatever they will be able to come up with from all what we know there can be no mistake about the following truths:
Firstly, the EU´s neighbourhood is less and less homogeneous - if it ever was otherwise. Thus the 16 countries which are part of the ENP cannot be dealt with a one-size-fits-all approach, no matter how nice and comfortable that might be, but have to be treated individually.
Secondly, the EU has to pay much more attention to the deep dividing lines between political elites that are too often corrupt and have taken the state and the societies in these countries, which increasingly long for a rule-based governance, hostage who. In dealing with these governments the EU has to walk a tightrope. As convincing the “more for more” approach, i.e. more access for more transformation, might sound, it has its delicate limits.
Thirdly, the EU has to pay sober regard to the geopolitical constellation within which it operates its neighbourhood policy and become much clearer abօut its own interests. Of course, all the EU´s neighbours are sovereign states and thus free to choose with whom they engage. Nevertheless, if that means – even unintentionally - to manoeuver the neighbours into a position where they have to decide with whom they side this policy might do more harm than good. This applies even more when the EU in itself is divided and thus not prepared or able to put its full weight behind the policy.
Fourthly, in a time where most of our neighbours are either victim of “frozen conflicts” or outright civil wars including the involvement of foreign countries, the future ENP cannot be a stand-alone policy mostly shaped and administered by the EU Commission. It can only be successful as part of the EU´s overall foreign and security policy.
