Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

EU Assesses Progress In Relations With Azerbaijan: New Country Repor

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • EU Assesses Progress In Relations With Azerbaijan: New Country Repor

    EU ASSESSES PROGRESS IN RELATIONS WITH AZERBAIJAN: NEW COUNTRY REPORT RELEASED

    ENPI Info Centre
    http://enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id=29145&id_type=1&lang_id=450
    May 31 2012

    Negotiations on an EU-Azerbaijan Association Agreement to replace the
    current ENP Action Plan, which expired at the end of 2011, progressed
    at a slow pace last year, and the two sides agreed to an open-ended
    extension of the Action Plan, until the Association Agreement is
    signed.Negotiations on a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade (DCFTA)
    could not start as Azerbaijan is not a member of WTO - a pre-condition
    to the start of DCFTA negotiations. These are some of the conclusions
    of the Country Report on how EU-Azerbaijan relations evolved between 1
    January and 31 December 2011 released by the European Commission. The
    report includes recommendations on how the country can step up the
    implementation of the AP.

    The report said Azerbaijan needed to make significant further efforts
    to meet its Action Plan commitments regarding democracy, including
    electoral processes, the protection of human rights and fundamental
    freedoms and the independence of the judicial system. It cited the
    heavy-handed suppression of a wave of protest actions in Marchas a
    major setback on the democratisation and human rights front.

    Azerbaijan launched a welcome anti-corruption campaign in early 2011,
    but its impact has been modest, the report said. It made progress
    in the fight against organised crime, terrorism, illicit trafficking
    and money laundering.

    Despite the economic slowdown, Azerbaijan made further progress towards
    achieving the economic objectives of the Action Plan. The growth in
    the non-oil economy, however, was largely driven by oil-financed
    public spending rather than by self-sustained development in the
    private sector. The report said further vigorous structural reforms
    were needed to boost private sector development by improving economic
    governance and opening up competition.

    The EU and Azerbaijan made good progress in enhancing energy
    cooperation including work to develop the Southern Gas Corridor,
    with the signature in January 2011 of a Joint Declaration confirming
    Azerbaijan's commitment to ensure supplies to the EU.

    Negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the Minsk Group
    produced no tangible results in 2011. Amidst increasing tension along
    the Line of Contact,mediation efforts resulted in marginal progress
    on mechanisms to investigate the violation of the ceasefire agreement.

    The report comes up with a number of recommendationswith a view to
    sustained implementation of the ENP Action Plan in 2012, in particular
    inviting Azerbaijanto:

    Extend full cooperation to the PACE rapporteur on political prisoners.

    Swiftly implement the Human Rights Action Plan adopted in December
    2011.

    Step up efforts together with Armenia to reach agreement on the Madrid
    Principles in accordance with the commitments made by the Presidents
    of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the framework of the Minsk Group.

    Provide unconditional access for representatives of the EU to
    NagornoKarabakh and surrounding regions.

    Ensure transparency in implementing the laws governing the process
    of demolitions, expropriations and forced evictions in Baku and
    the regions.

    Adopt the draft law on defamation which provides for the abolition
    of criminal liability for defamation and insult.

    Bring legislation on elections, freedom of assembly, freedom of
    association and media freedom into line with international standards
    and ensure its full implementation.

    Step up reform efforts in all aspects of the judicial system:
    prosecution, trial, sentencing, detention and appeals.

    Address outstanding issues in public financial management, notably
    on transparency and accountability in relation to the budget cycle.

    Implement with determination comprehensive measures to tackle
    corruption and to improve the business and investment climate,
    including reducing the oligopolistic structure of the economy.

    The AzerbaijanProgress Report is part of a set of documents released
    by the EU in the framework of its annual assessment of the European
    Neighbourhood Policy.

    The package also incudes reports on progress in relations between the
    EU and its other Neighbours in the East (Armenia, Georgia,Moldovaand
    Ukraine), the Report on the Eastern Partnership (EaP) activities
    in 2011, which takes stock of the progress in implementation of the
    EaP, and the Roadmap to the autumn 2013 EaP Summit, which sets out
    the objectives to be pursued in the near future and the expected
    achievements. (EU Neighbourhood Info)

Working...
X