EU reviews policy towards neighbors including Belarus
The European Neighbourhood Policy was last revised in 2011.
The head of European diplomacy Federica Mogherini and European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Johannes Hahn announced a consultation on the revision of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), tut.by reports.
The European Neighbourhood Policy of the European Union defines the relationship with its neighbors. It has two directions - South partnership (which includes the countries of North Africa) and the Eastern Partnership, which includes Belarus.
The ENP was last revised in 2011. The European diplomacy leaders believe that now is the time to "fundamentally reconsider the principles on which this policy is based, as well as its scope and the instruments used".
According to Mogherini, the latest developments in the region came with more serious challenges - from economic problems to irregular migration and security threats. "We need a strong policy to solve these problems. We need to better understand the different aspirations, values and interests of our partners," said the head of European diplomacy. The press release of the European Commission said that the European Union should apply differentiated approach to the countries participating in the ENP.
Consultation on the changes of the European Neighbourhood Policy will be held until the end of June with the neighboring countries and all stakeholders. Then, the Commission will prepare its proposals.
Four priorities were outlined to study the changes: differentiation, focus, flexibility and visibility.
Incidentally, the official Minsk has supported the differentiation in the EU's contacts with its neighbors for many years.
Photos of the European External Action Service
