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  • EU's Neighbours Slow To Reform

    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.
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