Thomas Bhuchsbaum, Ambassador and Special Envoy on Eastern Partnership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Austria, which will take over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in July, said the Declaration of the Brussels Summit remodeled the EaP, redirected and reinvigorated this. He made such a statement in an interview for TVR Moldova channel, IPN reports.

“If we refer to evolutions, I think the Declaration of the Brussels Summit remodeled, redirected and reinvigorated the EaP. The messages that come from the partner states show that the partnership is not managed by Brussels, the Council of the EU or the European Commission and the interest of the member states is increasingly evident. I think this is a big advantage as this fact will keep the partnership at the top of the priorities,” stated Thomas Bhuchsbaum.

According to him, the Eastern Partnership hasn’t yet come of age, but went through adolescence already. It is a partnership that existed for over 10 years and this covers a region that if a major importance for the EU. “Any region that neighbors the EU is important for the EU’s security and for the own security,” stated the ambassador.

Thomas Bhuchsbaum noted the Moldovan authorities’ wish to come closer to the EU was well heard and perceived. The set of 20 deliverables for 2020 were a clear message that it is a program that centers on hundreds of subjects that were reduced to 20. “Such an approach is new. It has a temporal framework and we should all work on these deliverables,” said the Austrian official.

Thomas Bhuchsbaum stated that Austria, as the President of the Council of the European Union, will make effort to better present the EaP and not only in the partner states.