Washington briefing: European Union leaders agree on “Eastern” policy

by Emil Sanamyan

Published: Friday March 27, 2009

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Washington - Member countries of the European Union have formally approved two policy initiatives involving their eastern neighbors.

During a March 19-20 summit in Brussels, European leaders agreed to set aside 600 million euros for a multiyear program dubbed "Eastern Partnership," which will involve Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, RFE/RL reported.

The program is viewed as a counterweight to Russia's increasingly dominant posture in the former Soviet space since the war in Georgia last year. While promising increased cooperation up to free trade agreements and visa-free travel, it makes no mention of potential European Union expansion into the area.

In a related development, the European Union agreed to spend 200 million euros to facilitate the Nabucco gas pipeline from the Caspian region to Europe, bypassing Russia. Europeans hope the new route will lessen their dependence on Russia as supplier of natural gas.