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The new priorities of the neighborhood policy

The European Union is ready to get involved in the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (credit: OSCE, 2006)

(BRUSSELS2) The new neighborhood approach that the High Representative, Cathy Ashton and Commissioner Stefan Füle are presenting today, intends to adapt to the new situation in progress in the Arab countries and also in the Caucasus countries.

Objective: democracy

We want " provide greater support in building democracy explain European officials. This includes freedom of expression and the formation of political parties, but also independent and fair justice, the fight against corruption, security provided by responsible police and armed forces...

An unstable neighborhood

Because the European neighborhood remains crossed by conflicts, active or frozen and is particularly unstable. From Nagorno-Karabakh to Western Sahara, via Georgia, Transnistria, "the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and other conflicts in the Middle East, (...) continue to affect large segments of the population, fueling radicalization ". The EU therefore wants “intensify its political and security cooperation », on three main subjects: conflict resolution, direct assistance for the reform of justice or security services, facing new threats.

Conflict resolution

The European Union is engaged in conflict resolution mechanisms: Quartet in the Middle East, 5+2 discussions in Transnistria-Moldova. She is like this “ready to get involved in formats where it is currently not represented, such as the OSCE Minsk group on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict”.

Security assistance or "rule of law" missions

The EU also has several missions deployed on the ground: observers in Georgia (EUMM), border assistance (EUBAM) in Moldova, police training and border monitoring (EUPOL and EUBAM) in the Palestinian territories. And more can be done, it is mentioned, “ by making greater use of the instruments of the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) and the other instruments of the European Union”. The document thus proposes the support (from the EU to these partner countries in their efforts to reform the judiciary and the reform of the security sector », with rule of law missions or other CFSP instruments. She also hears “make full use of the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty to respond to all other threats of common interest: security of energy resources, non-proliferation, cross-border crime, etc.

NB: it should be noted that the terminology of the common security and defense policy has (almost) been completely removed from this document. It is only mentioned once, almost inadvertently.

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Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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