Trade links between the EU and Eastern European countries: progress at different speeds

Abstract

More than thirteen years after its establishment, the Eastern Partnership constitutes a heterogeneous balance in terms of promoting closer political relations and economic integration, in accordance with the acquis communautaire, with the countries of the region. This progress at different speeds is led by the States of Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine with whom, in accordance with the ambitious regulatory convergence carried out in recent years, the EU has established the most ambitious measures implicit in the Eastern Partnership. Specifically, the Partnership Agreements stand out and, particularly. the DCFTA, as they favor gradual integration into the internal market and have already significantly strengthened trade ties with the EU. Armenia is in an intermediate position, as it has been able to establish a new cooperation framework with the EU that is well adapted to its internal characteristics and society. Since January 2022, Armenia no longer benefits from the Generalized System of Preferences or the Generalized System of Preferences Plus. However, the new agreement is expected to make it easier to strengthen ties with the neighboring country in the coming years. Then there is Azerbaijan, the participation of which in the Eastern Partnership has been limited and, above all, oriented toward greater collaboration with the EU in the energy sector. In terms of trade, the new Brussels-Baku dialogue will gradually facilitate greater cooperation, being of great interest to both parties. Lastly, we should mention Belarus, with which the EU has traditionally maintained tense relations, also in the commercial field. These relations have further deteriorated after the support of the Lukashenko regime for Moscow in the attack on Ukraine at the end of February and the subsequent approval of sanctions by the EU, which have a negative impact on the already scant commercial ties between Brussels and Minsk.