Joint Declaration of the Prague Eastern Partnership Summit Prague, 7 May 2009

6. The European Union will develop Comprehensive Institution-Building Programmes individually with each partner country in order to improve their  administrative capacity, including through training, technical assistance and any appropriate innovative measures.

7. Supporting mobility of citizens and visa liberalisation in a secure environment is another important aspect of the Eastern Partnership. It will promote mobility of citizens of the partner countries through visa facilitation and readmission agreements; the EU, in line with its Global Approach to Migration, will also take gradual steps towards full visa liberalisation as a long term goal for individual partner countries on a case-by-case basis provided that conditions for well-managed and secure mobility are in place.

8. The Eastern Partnership aims to strengthen energy security through cooperation  with regard to long-term stable and secure energy supply and transit, including through better regulation, energy efficiency and more use of renewable energy sources. Provisions on energy interdependence could be included in the new Association Agreements or other bilateral arrangements between the EU and the partner countries. Energy cooperation should take into account the EU's Second Strategic Energy Review and each partner country's energy policy.

Focus on multilateral co-operation

9. The multilateral framework of the Eastern Partnership will provide for cooperation activities and open and free dialogue serving the objectives of the Partnership. It will operate on a basis of joint decisions of the European Union and the partner countries. It will provide a forum to share information and experience on the partner countries' steps towards transition, reform and modernisation and give the EU an additional instrument to accompany these processes. It will facilitate the development of common positions and joint activities. The multilateral framework is aimed at fostering links among partner countries themselves and will be a forum for discussion on further developments of the Eastern Partnership. Legislative and regulatory approximation is crucial to those partner countries willing to make progress in coming closer to the EU. The multilateral framework will provide the setting for the systematic undertaking in this respect, including through dedicated sessions devoted to the presentation and explanation by the European Union of EU legislation and standards, as well as its comparison with national policy and legislation.

10. Meetings of Heads of State or Government of the Eastern Partnership will be held in principle every two years. They should take place in the EU and in the partner countries. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs will meet every year. These high-level meetings will move and shape the Eastern Partnership further.

11. Four thematic platforms currently organised by the European Commission will allow for target-oriented sessions and serve for open and free discussions, on the basis of the main areas of cooperation, namely Democracy, good governance and stability; Economic integration and convergence with EU sectoral policies;

Energy security; and Contacts between people.

12. The initial meetings of the four thematic platforms will take place during June 2009. Each platform will adopt a set of realistic, core objectives that should be updatedperiodically, with a corresponding work programme, and will review the progress achieved. Meetings would be held at least twice a year at the level of senior officials engaged in the reform work in the relevant policy areas. The platforms will report to the annual meetings of Ministers of Foreign Affairs. The work of the platforms may occasionally be promoted through sector-specific Ministerial meetings. There will also be panels to support the work of the thematic platforms in specific areas. Third states will be eligible for the participation on a case-by-case basis in concrete projects, activities and meetings of thematic platforms, where it contributes to the objectives of particular activities and the general objectives of the Eastern Partnership. Activities within the multilateral framework of the Eastern Partnership should be voluntary and based on the principles of a cooperative approach.

13. The participants of the Prague Summit support the launching of Flagship Initiatives that will give additional momentum, concrete substance and visibility to the Eastern Partnership and are looking forward to an early discussion of the platforms in this regard.

14. Complementarity with regional initiatives between the European Union and relevant partner countries, in particular the Black Sea Synergy, will be ensured. Interaction with other regional initiatives should be considered on a case-by-case basis.

15. High representatives of the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions, the European Economic and Social Committee, the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development have attended the Prague Summit. The Eastern Partnership will engage a wide range of actors, involving government ministries and agencies, parliaments, civil society, international organisations (such as the OSCE, Council of Europe and OECD), international financial institutions, the private sector, economic and social partners in the framework of the multilateral platforms.

Therefore, the participants of the Prague Summit invite the parliamentarians from the European Union and the partner countries to come forward with ideas regarding the European Parliament's proposal to establish a EU-Neighbourhood East Parliamentary Assembly (EURO-NEST PA), and the European Commission to develop and propose modalities for the establishment of a Civil Society Forum of the Eastern Partnership.

The participants also invite the European Investment Bank to work on investment support in the framework of its Eastern Neighbourhood mandate in favour of small and medium sized enterprises. They invite the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other international financial institutions to establish an appropriate joint small and medium-sized enterprise facility.

Funding

16. In line with the March 2009 Eastern Partnership Declaration, adopted by the European Council, increased European Union financial support will be provided serving the goals of the Eastern Partnership and taking into consideration progress made by individual partner countries. The participants of the Prague Summit agree that beyond the Community grant assistance and national co-financing, the implementation of the Eastern Partnership will require additional financial resources and they therefore call on other donors, the international financial institutions and the private sector to provide additional financing in support of reforms, the flagship initiatives and projects.

17. The Eastern Partnership should contain an innovative approach to promote joint ownership and deeper cooperation between the public and private sectors. Pro-active political support and the EU incentives and guarantees for the private sector should create the conditions for motivating the private sector to invest in the concrete projects in the partner countries and thus contributing to the attainment of the Eastern Partnership goals.

18. The participants of the Prague Summit encourage the EIB, EBRD and other International Financial Institutions to step up their efforts to assist all partner countries with the reform and modernisation process and to identify suitable investment projects.

Concluding points

19. The participants of the Prague Summit agree on the necessity to promote key principles and purposes of the Eastern Partnership among the public, mobilise support for and raise awareness of it. The increased visibility of concrete projects and activities will bring the initiative closer to citizens.

20. The participants of the Prague Summit call upon the current and incoming Presidencies of the Council of the European Union as well as the European Commission to intensify their joint efforts with the partner countries in order to define the schedule of ministerial and senior officials meetings within the multilateral dimension of the Eastern Partnership, to define the priorities of the activities of the thematic platforms for the period of 2009-2010, and to prepare proposals on early implementation of Flagship Initiatives.

21. The participants of the Prague Summit are confident that the results of the Prague Summit and the establishment of the Eastern Partnership will advance the cause of democracy, strengthen stability and prosperity, bringing lasting and palpable benefits to citizens of all participating states. The participants of the Prague Summit will work closely to achieve the objectives envisaged by this Joint Declaration.

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