The EU’s other neighbours: lessons for the European Neighbourhood Policy

Abstract

This edited volume on the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) in a comparative perspective aims to draw lessons from the experience of the ‘other neighbours’ of the European Union (EU). Among the policy frameworks or neighbourhood models discussed in this book are multilateral associations, such as the European Economic Area (EEA) and the Energy Community, as well as bilateral associations, such as the customs union with Turkey, the sectoral agreements with Switzerland or the Stabilization and Association Process (SAP) with the countries of the Western Balkans. The SAP is essentially bilateral, but within a common framework and encouraging regional cooperation among the (potential) candidate countries. In addition, the EU maintains looser and more pragmatic cooperation schemes, such as the Northern Dimension or the EU-Russia ‘Common Spaces’ in the framework of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA). The ENP combines bilateral agreements with multilateral cooperation frameworks, as well as project-based cooperation, especially in the two regional dimensions of the Eastern Partnership (thematic platforms and flagship initiatives) and the Union for the Mediterranean.