THE EUROPEAN UNION AND ITS EASTERN NEIGHBOURS IBD

Sinopse

This book explores the EUâÇÖs relations with its eastern neighbours. Based on extensive original research - including surveys, focus-groups, a study of school essays and in-depth interviews with key people in Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia and in Brussels - it assesses why the EUâÇÖs initiatives have received limited legitimacy in the neighbourhood. The European Neighbourhood Policy of 2004, and the subsequent Eastern Partnership of 2009 heralded a new form of relations with the EUâÇÖs neighbours - partnership based on joint ownership and shared values - which would complement if not entirely replace the EUâÇÖs traditional governance framework used for enlargement. These initiatives have, however, received a mixed response from the EUâÇÖs eastern neighbours.áTheábookáshows how the key elements of partnership have been forged mainly by the EU, rather than jointly, and examines the idea and application of external governance, and how this has been over-prescriptive and confusing.