Despite proclamations of “strong commitment” to Eastern partners, the EU’s reluctance to fast-track integration for its most ambitious next-door neighbors is causing increasing frustration as top diplomats met in Brussels on November 15 to chart the policy’s future, ahead of a leaders’ EaP summit set for 15 December, IPN reports, quoting EURACTIV

Pressed by journalists on whether the policy is dying, EU top diplomat Josep Borrell rejected the claims and said Brussels is “paying more and more attention to our Eastern neighbors”.“For us, at that moment it is mainly the most important part of our foreign policy“, the Spaniard added.

Yet, EURACTIV has learnt that the preparations for the joint EU-EaP declaration are rubbing some the wrong way.

Producing a joint political declaration is especially politically sensitive after a 2019 attempt at producing a stance signed by all participating countries failed. The celebratory document of the policy’s 10th anniversary was downgraded into a chairperson statement signed only by then-top EU diplomat Federica Mogherini.

Arriving at the meeting with his counterparts in Brussels on Monday, Romanian foreign affairs minister Bogdan Aurescu said it would be important to adopt a “very concrete, forward looking and visionary joint declaration” in a month’s time. Aurescu also emphasized the importance of starting “a discussion on this joint declaration as soon as possible.”

In this connation, EURACTIV noted that so far the initiative, self-ascribed as the “Associated Trio” after the association agreements signed by Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia that deepened their trade and political ties with the EU, has received little support from the Commission, which has barely been able to publicly utter the term up until last summer.

This unease was reflected in Borrell’s answer to journalist questions ahead of the meeting about the Trio within the Eastern Partnership. “We are going to discuss with all of them together”, he said.

Arriving at the EU Council building on Monday, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said that one of the key expectations of Kyiv from the Eastern Partnership summit is “the recognition of the associated trio”.

Newer member states in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the Baltics, have been more open to the trio format. Ahead of the meeting on Monday, Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said his country sees the Trio as a “good way forward for the countries to build up more speed on their path towards European integration.” “But then again, I think just the format, because we’re seeing some differences within the format, that is also to be noted,” he added.

EURACTIV understands that France, which has an influential Armenian diaspora, is unenthusiastic about the Associated Trio format as it wants to keep Armenia as close as the other countries in the bunch. France will hold presidential elections in April-May 2022. The French administration takes good care not to give fodder to the far-right to attack Emmanuel Macron, who will undoubtedly run for reelection, as a promoter of further EU enlargement. The UN estimates that France boasts 250,000 of Armenian population, but others put the number as high as 400,000.

The issue of Paris’ ‘cold shoulder’ blockade is particularly acute as France takes the six-month rotating presidency of the Council. The diplomat said Paris pays little attention to EaP in general and expressed doubts that the policy would change after the French elections.