MEP Knut Fleckenstein, who is the co-author of a European Parliament report on the Eastern Partnership, said those who do more reforms will get more support from the European Union, but when reforms are not implemented, the EU will no longer offer support. “More for more and less for less,” the official stated in an interview for Radio Free Europe. The MEP also said that the EU is not satisfied with what has been done until now, but if things go better, it will continue the rapprochement with the EaP states, IPN reports.
As to the new European neighborhood policy, called Eastern Partnership Plus, which is to be raised at the Eastern Partnership Summit that will take place in Brussels this November, Knut Fleckenstein said that even if the EU brings new stimuli to the Eastern partners, everything will be subject to stricter conditionality and will depend on reforms. “It is about two things. On the one hand, we want to achieve more goals than now. On the other hand, we want to offer the partner states more stimuli, such as to make the entry of these states into the Customs Union or the Schengen Area possible. We will also increase the budget for the money to reach those who need it most,” stated Knut Fleckenstein.
“I’m afraid Ukraine, Georgia or Moldova would believe that all these about which we speak will come automatically, by themselves or tomorrow. These are objectives that we want to achieve, but only if what we agreed with these countries by association agreements becomes a reality. The Association Agreements envision a series of very good steps that should be taken by both of the sides and which should be implemented correspondingly,” said the MEP.
Knut Fleckenstein noted that nothing will be achieved if the sides do not stick to the concluded agreements. “We want to continue to financially support Moldova, Ukraine or Georgia, but we want the money to reach the people, not oligarchs. That’s why we need reforms for my voters from Hamburg to also understand why a part of their money reaches the Moldovans, Georgians or Ukrainians,” stated the German MEP.
