The Eastern Partnership (EaP) is an initiative of the European Union, proposed by Poland and Sweden and launched in 2009 as the eastern dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy.

The EaP covers six partner countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. Belarus suspended its participation in the initiative in June 2021. The EU nevertheless continues to cooperate with Belarusian civil society.

Objectives and principles

The Eastern Partnership aims to:

• support political and economic reforms in the partner countries;
• promote political association, economic integration and visa liberalisation;
• strengthen stability and security;
• develop cooperation in the energy sector;
• protect the environment and expand sectoral cooperation with the EU.

The EaP is based on the principles of differentiation, joint engagement and shared responsibility, as well as the “more for more” approach: the greater a partner country’s progress in implementing reforms, the more substantial the support it receives from the EU.

Cooperation formats

The Eastern Partnership combines bilateral and multilateral dimensions:

• the bilateral dimension covers the EU’s relations with individual partner countries, including through association agreements, free trade areas and sectoral integration;
• the multilateral dimension enables political dialogue and expert-level sectoral cooperation among the EU, its Member States and the partner countries on issues of common interest.

Civil society, parliaments, and local and regional authorities are also involved in cooperation within the Eastern Partnership. The main formats for such engagement are:

• the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum;
• the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly;
• the Conference of Regional and Local Authorities for the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP).

Development of the Eastern Partnership

In 2025–2026, the main focus within the EaP shifted towards adapting existing mechanisms, strengthening the initiative’s practical dimension and fostering cooperation with other regional initiatives.

The Eastern Partnership Multi-Annual Work Plan 2025–2027 identifies the following medium-term priorities:

• ensuring complementarity between the Eastern Partnership and the EU enlargement process;
• strengthening security and societal resilience, including by countering foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI);
• promoting socio-economic development and engagement with other regions;
• engaging youth and civil society.

One of the regular formats of multilateral cooperation is the Eastern Partnership Working Group on Gender Equality, which has been operating since 2023. The Working Group facilitates expert dialogue and the exchange of experience among the partner countries, EU institutions and civil society on equal rights and opportunities, women’s participation in political and public life, combating gender-based violence and women’s access to justice.

The Eastern Partnership Senior Officials’ Meeting took place in Brussels on 19 March 2026. Participants conducted an interim review of the implementation of the Multi-Annual Work Plan and discussed priorities and further steps for the development of the initiative.

The meeting focused in particular on cooperation in a changing strategic environment, the rule of law and institutional reforms, complementarity between the Eastern Partnership and the EU enlargement process, the Black Sea dimension, regional connectivity and countering hybrid threats.

Official Eastern Partnership webpage on the European Commission website