Eastern Partnership Index Brussels Launch – “Quantum of progress: charting EaP countries’ trajectory towards European Integration, Democratic Reforms, and Sustainable Development”, 26 February 2019

“Quantum of progress: charting EaP countries’ trajectory towards European Integration, Democratic Reforms, and Sustainable Development”

The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) cordially invites you to the Brussels launch of the latest edition of its Eastern Partnership Index, which charts the Eastern Partnership countries’ progress towards European integration, democratic reforms and sustainable development.

The EaP Index maps out where the Eastern Partnership countries stand in terms of Approximation to key EU norms and international standards and Linkage between business, civil society, citizens and governments in the EaP and EU countries. While Eastern Partnership Countries’ Linkage to the EU has overall improved during 2017, progress in Approximation to key EU norms and international standards is slow at best and reversed at worst. Moldova, in particular, recorded the worst backsliding in the region, dropping 0.7 points in Approximation, mainly due to the worsening of political capture in the judiciary, crackdown on media independence and declining state accountability.

With Parliamentary elections in Moldova scheduled shortly before our Index launch, the time is critical to debate Index results and evaluate lessons learnt. What approach should the EU adopt in their relations with Moldova? How could have Moldova’s backsliding been avoided? What picture do Index results paint of the EaP region? What are the limits of the current approach in relation to the whole region? What role can the European institutions, and civil society, play to ensure the sustainability of reforms? EaP experts and EU officials will discuss, with the audience, the main results of the Eastern Partnership Index and future prospects for the region.