2021-11-30
Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia
Thank you! Good evening, everyone! It is a pleasure to be here in Brussels together with my Ukrainian and Moldovan colleagues on a joint visit of the Associated Trio.
We had very engaging meetings with President Charles Michel, President Ursula von der Leyen, and President of the European Parliament David Sassoli. The main message that we carried during our visit is the reaffirmation of the Trio's intention to further advance the integration of our countries with the EU, to take stock of already achieved results, and to identify together with the leaders of EU institutions next steps toward more sectoral integration.
Apart from common history, what unites our three countries is the European aspirations and firm choice of our societies, to become members of the EU based on shared European values.
By signing Association Agreements, including DCFTAs, seven years ago, our states made a commitment to embark on a process of comprehensive reforms in order to achieve legal and normative convergence with the EU. This commitment holds stronger than ever. And being part of political association and economic integration with the EU, the three of us can benefit from our individual achievements and jointly address emerging challenges. Based on the joint memorandum signed in Kiev-as well as in the leaders' declaration adopted in Batumi, Georgia-the Trio has agreed to strengthen cooperation among the three of us in a wide array of spheres, in line with the Association Agreement, DCFTA, to join efforts in order to achieve the full benefits of these agreements.
And here we are, speaking with our EU colleagues and friends and seeking new possibilities and opportunities to advance the political, economic, and sectoral integration of our states into the EU. We have shared our initiatives for enhanced cooperation in such sectors as connectivity, including transport, energy and digital spheres, trade and economic integration, environment and climate change, regional security and hybrid threats, including cyber and strategic communication, and others. At the same time, as the most active partners within the Eastern Partnership, we have reaffirmed with our European colleagues our commitment to contribute to the success of this strategic framework based on two very important pillars: differentiation and inclusiveness. Now we look forward to the upcoming summit in December that will pave the way forward for enhanced cooperation among the partners and with the EU. Thank you!
Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister of Ukraine
Dear colleagues, it is my pleasure to have this opportunity to talk to you in person to sum up the results of our joint visit together with the Prime Ministers of Georgia and Moldova. Today was an important day for the future of the Associated Trio initiative. We presented our vision and exchanged views of the further development in the Associated Trio together with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council Charles Michel, and President of the European Parliament David Maria Sassoli.
I am grateful to EU partners for frank and comprehensive conversations on various dimensions of cooperation within the Associated Trio. The Associated Trio initiative aims to make the Eastern Partnership stronger and more sustainable on the basis of its core principles: inclusiveness, differentiation, and the more for more approach. It is important to upgrade the Eastern Partnership in a way that builds on already achieved successes, but also addresses remaining vulnerabilities. The current situation in the Eastern Partnership on the eve of the upcoming summit shows the urgent need to rethink the strategic goal of this important EU initiative: strengthen its geopolitical and give the clear message of the European perspectives for those countries who would like to go further in their relations with the EU. The Trio Cooperation Agenda will be complementary to the Eastern Partnership instruments and will not aim at replacing the existing initiatives. It is important to receives a positive assessment of the joint Trio efforts at the summit. Progress in the implementation of key reforms within the Association Agreements is somewhat even more tangible, and this should be reflected in the EU approach to use relevant financial instruments and assistance programs. We welcome the initiatives proposed in the economic and investment plan. Looking forward to the endorsement of the announced economic and investment plan for the Eastern Partnership countries, including Ukraine. We are determined to work together with partners on implementing new relevant flagship initiatives, and the approach that it should be a very concrete project to deliver tangible benefits for the citizens is supported totally by Ukraine.
In the framework of preparations for the 6th Eastern Partnership Summit, we have taken another powerful step in filling this format with concrete content. The EU supports our three countries' desire to stimulate and develop their sectoral cooperation with the Eastern Partnership. The Association Trio aims at intensifying cooperation with the EU in the areas of green and digital transition, connectivity, energy security, justice and home affairs, strategic communication, and health, which should be also reflected in our joint declaration following the Eastern Partnership Summit. We will remember that the idea of uniting the Associated Countries in trio format was born in the European Parliament. I believe that our countries will continue to enjoy the support of the European Parliament in achieving the more ambitious goal we are pursuing. Euronest is a platform that could be used more effectively. The Eastern Partnership's parliamentary dimension should be definitely conveyed to the summit in its version of the post-2020 Eastern Partnership Agenda.
Transport: Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova, having concluded Association Agreements, have accepted ambitious obligations in transport areas. We have signed a Common Aviation Area Agreement with the CEU. The comprehensive map is extended to Ukraine, and Moldova and Georgia as well. The Association Trio is already deeply integrated into EU transport networks. At the same time, Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova are interested to negotiate with the EU in the framework of the Associated Trio on the liberalization of the road transportation market with EU member states. Our trade relations with the EU are at that stage when we should no longer postpone our discussions on the conclusion of our road transportation agreement. The Association Trio countries are fully keen to the implementation of the priorities of the EU Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, and we are looking forward to cooperating with the EU on the implementation of the further EU connectivity strategy Global Gateway. In cooperation with the EU, we want to move toward green transport in the framework of the strategy European Green Deal, to achieve this goal by transport reorientation to high-speed rail traffic: multimodal transportation, digitalization, shifting freight transportation from road to rail/water traffic, and so on. Among other things, we discussed customs cooperation within the Trio. We can cooperate on the implementation of the provisions of the Union Customs Code, alternative rules of the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean. Given the high importance of energy security, we stand ready to achieve engagement with the EU and the Trio regarding a whole range of issues related to strengthening Europe's energy security. In that respect, we should not forget that all Trio countries are contracting parties to the Energy Community. We could consider launching a targeted Trio platform for energy resilience and sustainability to help manage the issues of energy security and security of supply at the regional level, as well as the issues of common interests with regards to green energy transition- and decarbonization-related challenges.
Dear colleagues, we must supplement our Eastern Partnership with new possibilities. We the Associated Trio expect the Eastern Partnership Summit to provide much-required political and strategic impetus for the Eastern Partnership and endorse long-term objectives of the initiatives, as well as reflect the interests of all participants: The Eastern Partnership, the EU, and its member states.
Thank you so much for your attention!
Natalia Gavrilița, Prime Minister of Moldova
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming on such short notice and your consistent interest in matters related to the Eastern Partnership. Today, we are wrapping up an important visit of the Associated Trio: The Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, and Georgia. The presence of three Prime Ministers in Brussels only two weeks ahead of the Eastern Partnership Summit is no coincidence. We are here to take stock of how far we have come and plan for our common way forward, a path laid out by the EU through the Eastern Partnership which we are committed to and determined to follow. It is thanks to the Eastern Partnership that our countries became closer, our relations with the EU grew deeper, and our dialogue more structured. It is no secret that at times we witnessed setbacks, but now there is no looking back. Our destination is clear. The road to the Eastern Partnership Summit should stay true to producing a strong and forward-looking political declaration. The recent political changes in the Republic of Moldova only strengthen my country's resolution to integrate further with the EU. Our citizens gave a strong mandate to the current Government and Parliament to put Moldova back on an ambitious path of reforms driven by our solid commitment to EU values and standards. We are focusing all our efforts on long overdue reforms, like justice reform, fighting corruption, strengthening institutions, reforming the economy, investing in digital transformation and greening. We are also grateful for the ambitious economic and investment plan advanced by the Commission this summer and for the EU's key financial support in general. These changes take time and effort, especially while the world goes through a pandemic, economic and health crises. Our path is uncertain, but the goal is clear: A strong, independent, and prosperous Moldova that is fully integrated with the EU in the interests and benefit of all its citizens.
We are aware that hard work and challenging reforms must remain at the forefront of this joint effort. As a trio, we can only succeed with the support of the EU. We thus continue to advocate for stronger EU engagement in our region. To this end, the Associated Trio prioritizes concrete goals that we will also address during the upcoming summit. We seek deeper political dialogue, further economic and sectoral integration. We hope for closer cooperation, especially in those areas that matter most to our citizens and have the potential to bring positive transformation to their lives: Cutting roaming costs or making cross-border banking transactions easier and less costly by possible joining the single euro payment area. We are keen on forward-looking responses to the need of strengthening our resilience, having in mind that a resilient Eastern Neighborhood brings concrete benefits to all. In this regard, we encourage broader focus on our security dimension in the Eastern Partnership, both in classical terms and in an effort to counter hybrid threats. We also put special emphasis on all objectives with direct impact on our resilience, boosting healthcare cooperation, enhancing energy security, and integration into the European energy market, strengthening transport connectivity, addressing justice reforms and home affairs, as a way of building up internal resilience.
These are just a few of the topics we discussed today between ourselves and also with President Ursula von der Leyen, President Charles Michel, and President David Sassoli. Their openness to strengthening our cooperation is reassuring, and we look forward to a successful Eastern Partnership Summit and its declaration encompassing our share ambitions and new concrete proposals.
Thank you!
Press Service of the Government Administration