The EU’s Policies towards its New Eastern Neighbours - A new Ostpolitik in the Making or a Mélange of Different Concepts and Priorities?
The EU’s Policies towards its New Eastern Neighbours - A new Ostpolitik in the Making or a Mélange of Different Concepts and Priorities?

Summary/Abstract: The comparative analysis is primarily based on the two Communications published by the European Commission entitled “Black Sea Synergy – A New Regional Cooperation Initiative” (BSS) of 11 April 2007 and “Eastern Partnership” (EaP) of 3 December 2008 and the ensuing policy documents. Overall, the key objectives are to briefly assess the contents of these two policy initiatives / approaches, examine their interaction and the level of their complementarity – if any – and consider their impact for the Black Sea region as a whole. To this end, the paper, after a brief historical account and a critical presentation of each policy, focuses on the various setbacks and pending issues of both the Black Sea Synergy and the Eastern Partnership while exploring the ‘way forward’. In this regard, the idea is basically to table some proposals or at least to raise the appropriate questions reflecting on the potential implications and the probability of a future modus Vivendi between the two policies.

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