PLATFORMA presents its 6 recommendations for the post-2020 Eastern partnership framework

While the Eastern Partnership (EaP) celebrates its 10th anniversary, PLATFORMA has just published a policy position on the post-2020 Eastern partnership framework where it makes 6 recommendations. 

Following the signature of Association Agreements between the EU and half of the EaP countries (Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine), Local and Regional Governments (LRGs) needs to be fully included in the process and the post-2020 EU instruments should be adapted to towns and regions’ mission: providing tangible results to citizens.

This darft position paper will be formally adopted by PLATFORMA political representatives at the next Political Council on 23 October in Vilnius (Lithuania), in the margins of the Forum of EaP-EU Local leaders.

The six recommendations made by PLATFORMA are:

• To facilitate the access of EaP municipalities and regions from Association Agreements signatories countries (Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) to European Union programmes and grants, in particular programme with clear Sustainable development goals (SDGs) implementation ambition
• To renew the EaP 20 deliverables on the basis of the 17 SDGs in order to facilitate their achievement in the EaP
• To guarantee the acquis of the decentralisation reforms and ensure the participation of citizens in the development process
• To mainstream gender equality, youth, climate action and digitalisation in the framework of cooperation development programmes
• To adapt cooperation programme to EaP local and regional governments’ demands and not only to EU offer
• To develop capacity building of Association of Local Authorities in EaP countries

Since 2015, PLATFORMA has developed an Eastern partnership programme, aiming at strengthening local and regional governance, and developing capacity building of national associations of local authorities, in particular in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

The Eastern Partnership (EaP) is a joint initiative involving the EU, its Member States and six Eastern European Partners: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. It is a specific dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy.