La politica di vicinato europea e la sua evoluzione nei rapporti con gli Stati del partenariato orientale

This essay examines, from a legal prospective, the nature and the evolution of the European neighbourhood policy and the cooperation between the European Union and the countries of the Eastern Partnership. In particular, it explores the main aspects of the deep and comprehensive free trade areas, the principle of market access conditionality, the specificities of the dispute settlement mechanism in the context of the association agreements between Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, with a special attention to that with Ukraine. The application of the association agreements with the three associated countries to contested territories such as Crimea, the secessionist Republics of Eastern Ukraine, Transnistria, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, is also examined. The objective of this essay is to show how intense the economic and political relations with the three associated countries are in all areas of EU competence. Moreover, this essay highlights the EU change of strategy occurred in 2015 vis-a-vis neighbour countries: the EU leans towards a more pragmatic and flexible approach. In this context, the controversial decision to conclude a mixed agreement with Armenia and the main aspects of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement (CEPA) are also examined. Furthermore, the EU has opened the negotiation for the conclusion of a partnership agreement with Azerbaijan. These two initiatives show the EU’s interest in maintaining good neighbour relations with countries of the Eastern Partnership that do not respect the values upon which the EU is founded. Finally, this essay places emphasis on how the European neighbourhood policy cannot be said to be based on a multilateral approach, following a set of common principles for all neighbour countries, but rather on a bilateral approach that differentiates the conditions of cooperation depending on the concerned third country.