EU’S NEIGHBOURS SLOW TO REFORM
By Toby Vogel

European Voice
May 12 2010

Democratic change in Moldova a rare bright spot in European
Neighbourhood Policy reports.

Å tefan Fule, the European commissioner for enlargement and the
neighbourhood policy, today (12 May) presented the annual reports on
the EU’s neighbours.

These were the first regular reports on the European Neighbourhood
Policy (ENP) since Fule took office in February. He described the
ENP as evidence of the EU’s "transformative soft power".

However, the individual chapters note, with some exceptions, that
there has been little progress in priority areas. Where progress has
occurred it appears to be mostly unrelated to the ENP’s measures.

In the period 2007-13, the EU has allocated close to â~B¬12 billion
for the ENP. Fule said that the biggest funding increases would be
in allocations for Morocco, Moldova and Ukraine, which he singled
out as the ENP’s "most engaged partners".

ARMENIA

The main development in Armenia over the past year was the signing
of protocols on normalising relations with Turkey in October, mainly
through Swiss mediation. However, the ratification procedure stalled
after Turkey linked the opening of the border and the establishment
of diplomatic relations to progress in peace talks between Azerbaijan
and Armenia over Nagorno Karabakh, a territory inside Azerbaijan
that was occupied by Armenian forces in the 1990s. Armenia suspended
ratification in April, blaming Turkey for the lack of progress.

"The EU was pleased to note Armenia’s continued commitment to pursue
the process of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations," the
report said, "but at the same time expressed concern about the loss
of momentum in this process."

The report also noted that the Albanian government took steps to
improve the political situation following a disputed presidential
election in 2008 and that anti-corruption legislation has been
strengthened.

AZERBAIJAN

The EU took note of the "intensified" attempts to find a settlement
over Nagorno Karabakh. However, it said the country had made little
progress in political dialogue and reform.

There was a "serious setback on Azerbaijan’s road to consolidated
democracy" when a national referendum approved the lifting of term
limits for the president, Ilham Aliyev.

"Further reforms in the justice sector and the strengthening of
the rule of law, notably the independence of judiciary, and proper
implementation of adopted legislation in all areas would be of
key importance. So would be continued efforts to fight corruption,
notably by enforcing the relevant legislation," the report said. The
economy proved resilient to the global crisis, with 9.3% growth in
gross domestic product (GDP) in 2009. Almost all of the country’s
exports to the EU are hydrocarbons.

EGYPT Egypt is an active participant in the ENP as well as the Union
for the Mediterranean, which it has co-chaired in 2009-10, but shows
little inclination for political and institutional reform.

It has been in a state of emergency since 1981, when Hosni Mubarak
succeeded Anwar as-Sadat after the latter’s assassination, and there
is very little room for political dissent, with opposition supporters
thrown in jail and widespread torture. The continued state of emergency
is a "concern and disappointment", the report says.

Electoral law appears unlikely to be amended before parliamentary
elections later this year and a presidential poll next year.

GEORGIA Georgia is preparing a new constitution, expected later this
year, and has fundamentally reformed its criminal justice system. It
has also implemented new anti-corruption rules.

Georgia’s economy, already suffering because of the war with Russia
in the summer of 2008, further declined last year. The EU expects a
visa facilitation agreement to be signed in the coming months.

ISRAEL There has been no progress in the ‘peace process’ between Israel
and the Palestinians, and the continued de facto blockade of the Gaza
strip – ruled by the Islamist Hamas movement – by Israel and Egypt has
perpetuated a humanitarian crisis there. The EU’s border assistance
mission has remained on stand-by. According to the report, Israel’s
competitive, export-oriented economy withstood the global crisis well.

JORDAN

Jordan made some progress on governance and transparency, notably
in government relations with the media, and on human rights and
fundamental freedoms, according to the report. King Abdullah dissolved
parliament in November and a new government took office the following
month, tasked with implementing a sweeping reform programme.

Parliamentary elections are to take place later this year under a
new electoral law. Jordan is a model country by regional standards
in its efforts to combat corruption.

LEBANON The political situation in Lebanon remains tense. The country
was politically paralysed for months before and after parliamentary
elections in June, and the formation of a new government took five
months. Lebanon and Syria have tentatively normalised relations,
but suspicions remain that Syria is meddling in Lebanon’s internal
politics.

MOLDOVA

Moldova experienced a dramatic year in 2009. A parliamentary election
in spring sparked violent protests against the ruling Communists,
who had to accept a re-run in July that led to their replacement
by a pro-EU coalition. With the new government in place, reform
has accelerated, although the country continues to perform badly
economically, with GDP contracting by 6.5% and trade with the EU
declining by 30% against 2008.

MOROCCO Morocco gained ‘advanced status’ with the EU in 2008, and 2009
saw a number of negotiations following on from that commitment. In
March this year, the two sides held a summit in Granada, Spain –
the first between the EU and an Arab country. In May, the two sides
inaugurated a mixed committee of parliamentarians.

Local elections in June 2009 marked some progress toward democracy,
the report says. Political dissent is still severely restricted,
especially in Western Sahara, a territory under Moroccan occupation.

PALESTINE

There has been no progress in talks between Israel and the
Palestinians, and the occupied territories continue to be split in
two, with the West Bank under the control of secular Fatah and the
Gaza strip run by Islamist Hamas, with Israel encroaching on both
territories.

The Palestinian authority – Fatah – has viewed the ENP primarily
as a state-building tool and will continue on that path for the
foreseeable future. Israel’s war on Gaza in December 2008-January
2009 had "devastating effects" on civilians and "destroyed" Gaza’s
economic and institutional structures, the report says. More than
1,400 Palestinians, including around 1,000 civilians, were killed.

Presidential and parliamentary elections were supposed to be held in
January this year but have been postponed indefinitely. The report
notes progress in judicial reform. The Palestinian authority is
bankrolled primarily by the EU.

TUNISIA Governance and human rights remain sore spots in bilateral
relations.

President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was re-elected for a fifth period in
office with close to 90% of votes, and the ruling party retained its
crushing majority in parliamentary elections last year. The report
says that Tunisia had "good economic management" that insulated it,
to some degree, from the global downturn. The report notes that no
significant progress was made in combating corruption.

UKRAINE

The country was paralysed by the rivalry between President Viktor
Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who were both replaced
when Viktor Yanukovych won a presidential election in February.

Ukraine’s economy is thought to have contracted by up to 15% last
year, among the worst performances in the world. Trade between the EU
and Ukraine fell by 45%. Funding from the EU and the International
Monetary Fund has been on hold because of doubts about Ukraine’s
determination to reform.