20 years of the European Neighborhood Policy - a look back.

By Nurbolat Kambekov, 5 minutes

What is ENP? 

ENP represents a foreign policy framework aimed at fostering cooperation between Europe and its southern and eastern neighbors). Launched in 2004 and later reviewed in 2015, the policy operates based on shared values of democracy and the rule of law. Such cooperation has broad implications for the partners as it extends to political integration, trade, energy, civil society, and many more. Agreements with each partnering state are reached on an individual basis, which allows catering to specific needs. 

To put it simply, the EU tends to offer its partners tariff-free access to some of its markets, as well as assistance with various reforms and initiatives (including financial support) in efforts to sustain peace and democracy on the European subcontinent. In the context of the current interdependent politics, it is crucial for Europe to secure sustainable and peaceful development not just inside of the EU, but throughout the whole European subcontinent. 

Currently, there are 16 partner states:

Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgi, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Republic of Moldova, Morocco, Syria, Palestine, Tunisia, Ukraine

Actions taken under the ENP require significant financial resources. The European Neighborhood Instrument (ENI) is the primary tool used to finance activities under ENP. An estimated 15.4 billion euros were provided through ENI to fund various programs.

Current geopolitical state 

While it may seem like ENP has been able to achieve some of the envisioned goals, such as guarantees of easier travel or enhanced access to the European trade market, in the grand scheme of things, numerous members of the initiative remain rather distant. The ongoing war in Ukraine, tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the absence of a dialogue with the Belarusian President further highlight ENP’s inability to achieve cooperation within the wider area of Europe. 

Throughout the years of the ENP’s existence, the relationships between the European Union and some of the neighboring states only worsened. The EU hasn’t been able to solidify its political presence in the South, where now Gulf States appear to be more prominent stakeholders, while in the East, the EU is now confronted by Russia. 

Why has ENP failed? 

ENP was created with ideas of shared values in mind, however, as it later turned out, these values diverge significantly among partnering states. ENP partners are different in many ways - be it culture, level of democracy, or economic development. The European Union recognizes these differences as the Euro-Mediterranean and Eastern partnerships were created in face of these differences, and the latter included Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. These Eastern European and West Asian states are somewhat similar in their levels of economic development. However, despite being neighbors, each one of these nations followed a unique political path. Today, Belarus and Azerbaijan are ruled by oppressive authoritarian regimes, while the rest of the Eastern partners are experiencing the political instability of the hybrid regimes. Hybrid regimes are often characterized by having both democratic and authoritarian features, which happens as a result of an incomplete political transition. At its core, ENP undertook an almost impossible mission of sustaining a democratic society in nations where democracy is not fully developed at best, and, at worst, hasn’t been established as an institution.

Source: Eurostat

Apart from visible differences in levels of democracy, the European Neighborhood Policy appears to be a one-sided partnership, where the EU dictates the rules of the game with slight adjustments from the partnering states. Experts have always highlighted the Eurocentric nature of the initiative. Methods used by the European Neighborhood Policy are primarily derived from the EU’s previous enlargement experience. This entails political and economic integration, which, in its turn, requires partners to implement reforms. Such reforms are feasible from the EU’s point of view, however, they do not necessarily align with countries’ national agendas. Most importantly, many of the southern partners are not interested in joining the EU or integrating with it any further. 

What’s ahead for the ENP?

ENP’s inability to achieve cooperation in the European region only further proves the need for smart foreign policy in the area. The initiative itself is not a lost cause, however, it would benefit greatly from conceptual reconstruction. 

In 2015, the EU reviewed the ENP in an attempt to address the structural flaws but didn’t succeed. The reviewed ENP was complimented by the joint priorities of “economic development for stabilization”, “security” and “migration and mobility”, which indeed corresponded to needs at the time. Still, such changes were made according to the EU’s interest and didn’t take into account the partners’ opinions. 

The new ENP or any other initiative launched with similar goals needs to include all of the European Neighbours in North Africa and Central Asia. Numerous political issues involve North African and Central Asian states as seen through their current role in energy security and peacekeeping. Moreover, the initiative should not be overshadowed by the EU’s discourses and, instead, view regional issues through the lens of other partners. In the grand scheme of things, this means that major decisions should be undertaken together with the governments of the partnering states.

The European Neighborhood Policy might not be the greatest foreign policy instrument, however, it is shedding light on a much greater issue - the need for better cooperation on the European subcontinent. The interdependent nature of contemporary foreign affairs forces the European Union to reconsider its current approach to managing relationships with its neighbors. It would be naive to expect that a single initiative, such as ENP would solve deep-seated political conflicts, but the experience of the past two decades allows Europe to reflect on flaws in policy-making and come up with better solutions for ENP.