R6: Greening the Eastern Partnership

The European integration process is much wider than simply joining up EU
structures. First, it is the sharing of European values by those countries in
the continent which have yet to become EU members.

The EU’s Eastern Partnership (EaP) programme, which was launched in 2009, can be
seen in the long term as a framework for the accession preparation process for
the participating countries.

However, in the short term, it must serve as an important political tool to
ensure the implementation of high European standards and norms – environmental
in particular – despite the reality of participants’ chances of being granted EU
membership.

The European Union should use its tools, including the EaP, to support its core
values of human rights, democracy, cooperation and sustainability in
participating countries and strengthen all actors, who pursue these values. The
current situation in many of the EaP countries underlines such a need for active
participation of the EU.

Despite many issues in the area of peace, democracy and human rights, the EaP
should not forget about its goals in the environmental cooperation. One of the
obstacles here is the fact that environment is not stated as being a special
area of joint activity of the EU and the participating states.

European Greens have welcomed the intention of the President of the European
Commission to include the climate and sustainability issues in the EaP activity
framework, which is due to be discussed on the EU summit, scheduled for March
2021, and demand that environmental protection is mentioned as a special area
within the partnership.

European Greens also insist on the integration of environmental and climate
elements into the existing components of the EaP (economy, energy, transport,
etc.).

European Greens call on the European Commission to reflect European Green Deal
tasks in the renewed EaP cooperation plans.