Should the Baltic states initiate the reform of the EU’s Eastern partnership policy?

Abstract

The Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) have been enthusiastic supporters of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) in general and the Eastern Partnership (EaP) in particular. Their view of the six countries included in the EaP policy (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) is that these countries deserve more engagement on the part of the EU. Although the Baltic States’ main focus is on making sure that reform-minded countries in the European neighbourhood are granted support, political dialogue should be maintained with those EaP countries that are in favour of a more limited engagement with the EU. On the strategic level, the Baltic States’ approaches to the EaP are similar, but on the tactical level, there are slight differences. Lithuania stands out as the most vocal supporter of the EaP, while Estonia’s and Latvia’s approaches are more pragmatic. The future outlook of the EaP is somewhat uncertain, taking into account the events of the past year. This article also provides policy-makers from the Baltic States with recommendations on how to avoid this worst-case scenario.