BRUSSELS – President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso has said he hopes that a number of association agreements with the Eastern Partnership member states will be concluded next year.
Chisinau is the next on agenda, he said.
In his speech at the Annual Conference of EU Heads of Delegation in
Brussels on Tuesday, Barroso noted that the EU has started negotiating
association agreements and agreements on the creation of free trade
areas with four of its six Eastern partners.
“We have concluded negotiations with Ukraine, but the signing of the
agreement will depend on Kyiv’s commitment to the European values. I
hope that by the 3rd Eastern Partnership Summit, which will take place
next year, more of these agreements will be concluded, notably with
Moldova,” he said.
Barroso also said that the eastern Partnership member states “need an active and influential Europe.”
“The rest of the world also needs an outward looking Europe that is
able to play its full role in the neighborhood and in global affairs,”
he said.
He once again stressed that the EU’s “commitment to reform expends
across the countries of the neighborhood policy, not just to the south
but to the east as well.”
“Here too, we are supporting those who wish to consolidate democracy
and open up their economies through a joint approach,” Barroso said.
