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Chisinau Declaration

3rd European People’s Party Eastern Partnership Leaders’ Summit - 11 July 2013
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The European People’s Party Eastern Partnership Leaders assembled in Chisinau,
  1. Whereas the EPP highlights its supports for the Eastern Partnership as the main platform for the cooperation between the European Union and the EaP partners.
  1. Whereas recalling both the Batumi and Yerevan Declarations asking for more content for the Eastern Partnership and stating the need to entrench in its scope the offer of a clear European perspective to the Eastern Partners who are willing and acting accordingly
  1. Whereas the  Eastern  Partnership  Vilnius  Summit  has  to  provide  further  strategic guidance and set a timetable  for concrete steps to be subsequently  taken, by those Eastern partners aiming towards a progressive development of their relations with the European Union beyond the scope of the Eastern Partnership
  1. Acknowledge the  European  fundamental  values  and  principles,  to  which  they  are strongly committed, and their importance for promoting peace, stability, prosperity and security throughout the entire European continent.
  1. Emphasise the preeminent role played by the fundamental freedoms and mobility of citizens as a driving force for the sustainable development  of Europe,  as well as the strategic objective of extending internal market principles and rules, while facilitating people-to-people contacts, which underpins the Eastern Partnership philoso
  1. Highlight the significant role to be played by the DCFTA in providing better conditions for economic  growth,  job  creation,  increased  investment  flows  and  contact  between businesses, so that citizens could share the benefits of higher standards of products, better quality of services and new business opportunities.
  1. Share  the view  on the importance  of transport  connections  for facilitating  the safer travel of people.
  1. Call  on the relevant  stakeholders  to  strive  to develop  the  better  interconnection  of transport  and  communication  infrastructure,  responding  thus  to the  liberalisation  of market access for goods and services as provided by the future Association Agreements.
  1. Welcome the recent agreement on the regional transport networks of the EaP countries connecting them to the TEN-T and undertake to contribute to the adoption during the EaP Transport Ministerial meeting, to be organised under the Lithuanian EU Presidency, of a list of priority infrastructure development projects.
  1. Emphasise the paramount  role  of  the  enhanced  mobility  of  citizens  in  taking  full advantage of the benefits of the free movement of goods, services and capital.
  1. Bearing in mind  the  interconnection  between  mobility  and  security-related  issues, ensure the necessary conditions for secure mobility so that the citizens of the European Union, but also of partner countries, are reassured and can truly benefit from a visa-free regime in a secure and well-managed environment.
  1. Welcome the good progress achieved by the Republic of Moldova in fulfilling the Visa Liberalisation Action Plan  benchmarks  paving  the  way  towards  establishing  visa-free travel for the citizens of the Republic of Moldova in due course.
  1. Note with satisfaction the signature of the Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements between Armenia and the European Union, as well as the launch of the EU-Georgia Visa Dialogue and underline the importance of the launch of the EU-Armenia visa dialogue as soon as possible.
  1. Stress the increased role of mobility in facilitating people-to-people contacts, including learning mobility, cultural exchanges, research activities, youth networking and volunteering.
  1. Reaffirm the determination to continue to build upon the positive momentum reached in their cooperation with the European Union with a view to maximising the benefits of the enhanced mobility  of  citizens,  based  on  a shared  vital  interest  in  a prosperous, strong and united Europe.
  1. Emphasise the need for a more targeted approach to increase the visibility of the EaP for the citizens.
  1. Reaffirm the importance of regional stability and security for a full realisation of the Eastern Partnership’s potential.
  1. Stress that the practice of closed borders and isolation policies are inconsistent with the aims and purposes of the Eastern Partnership and the European aspirations.
  1. 19. Stress the importance of finding peaceful and negotiated settlements to the conflicts in the region and call for a strong commitment by all the concerned parties in this regar
Towards the 2013 Eastern Partnership Vilnius Summit
  1. Express the strong  political  commitment  to  effectively  pursue  the  track  record  of reforms ensuring sustainability and ownership of the process while ensuring compliance with  the  democratic  standards,  consolidation  of  the  rule  of  law  and  a  functioning market economy.
  1. Take note that  Armenia  and  Georgia  have  come  closer  to  the  finalisation  of  the Association Agreement negotiations, while the Republic of Moldova has completed the negotiations on the Association Agreement, including DCFTA.
  1. Reiterate that   fair   conditionality   based   on   the   merits-based   approach   should mainstream  the  advancement  of  the  Eastern  partners  towards  the  objectives  set  in relation to the European Union based on their respective level of ambition and commitment.
  1. Share the view  on  the  symbolic  importance  of  initialling  by  the  time  of  the  Vilnius Summit the Association  Agreements  with those Eastern  partners  that completed  the negotiations.
  1. Underline that the signing of the Association Agreements will then depend on the full respect of European values and principles by the EaP countries.
  1. Call on the need to speed up the work on the preparation of the Association Agendas as a tool to streamline the implementation of the Association Agreements based on agreed priorities.
  1. Invite the participants  to  the  EaP  Vilnius  Summit  to  jointly  agree  on  a  calendar  to sequence the steps to be taken for the entry into force of the Association Agreements, including the DCFTA.
  1. Stress the significant  importance  of  the  2013  Eastern  Partnership  Vilnius  Summit, acknowledging in this context the need for the recognition of the European perspective for the Eastern partners who are willing and acting accordingly.
EPP activities
  1. Concur that the established EPP institutionalised platforms for dialogue and cooperation within the Eastern Partnership dimension such as the Euronest EPP Group are valuable opportunities for fostering a strategic vision and consolidating the meaningful political support for its subsequent realisation.
  1. Agree to hold the 4th European People’s Party Eastern Partnership Leaders’ Summit in Vilnius in November 2013.
  1. Confirm that an EPP Foreign Affairs Ministers meeting (EU and non-EU) will be organised to prepare the 2013 Eastern Partnership Vilnius Summit.
  Wilfried MARTENS President of the European People’s Party Former Prime Minister of Belgium   Serzh SARGSYAN President of the Republican Party of Armenia President of Armenia   Mikheil SAAKASHVILI President of the United National Movement of Georgia President of Georgia   Iurie LEANCĂ First Deputy President of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova Prime Minister of Moldova


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