The new institutional set-up of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) initiative was be launched in Brussels on March 12 in the presence of senior officials from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and the EU Member States. The new structure was officially adopted at the Eastern Partnership Summit in November last year with the joint declaration, IPN reports, with reference to a press release of the EaP.
The new structure for institutional cooperation between the Eastern Partnership countries and the EU Member States is more compact and focuses first and foremost on the efficient delivery of reforms that bring real results to the citizens. The new approach makes it more important that the partner countries engage at an appropriate level, able and willing to progress with the 20 deliverables agreed to be implemented by 2020.
The core elements of the renewed structure, the platforms and panels, are now aligned with the four priorities of the Eastern Partnership: Stronger governance, Stronger economy, Stronger connectivity and Stronger society. The work of the platforms and panels is guided by the ministers through senior officials.
Exchanges at all levels, including parliamentary through EURONEST, local and regional authorities through the Conference of Regional and Local Authorities (CORLEAP) and civil society through the Civil Society Forum remain central parts of the structure. Platforms will be giving a more political steer to the panels and at the same time reporting back to the senior officials on the overall activities of the panels within a specific priority.
