The European Union and its Eastern Neighbours

This book explores the EUs relations with its eastern neighbours. Based on extensive original research including surveys, focus-groups, a study of school essays and in-depth interviews with key people in Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia and in Brussels it assesses why the EUs initiatives have received limited legitimacy in the neighbourhood. The European Neighbourhood Policy of 2004, and the subsequent Eastern Partnership of 2009 heralded a new form of relations with the EUs neighbours partnership based on joint ownership and shared values which would complement if not entirely replace the EUs traditional governance framework used for enlargement. These initiatives have, however, received a mixed response from the EUs eastern neighbours. The book shows how the key elements of partnership have been forged mainly by the EU, rather than jointly, and examines the idea and application of external governance, and how this has been over-prescriptive and confusing.