FM Paet: More Successful Neighbourhood Policy Nations Merit More Cooperation Opportunities
23.11.2007
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet participated in a European Neighbourhood Policy conference (The Baltic States and the EU Neighbourhood Policy) in Riga on Friday, 23 November. Cooperation between Baltic States and the receiving nations of the ENP was discussed.
In his speech, Foreign Minister Paet emphasized that Estonia supports European Union enlargement that is based upon common values. “We no longer think about whether a nation is fit for democracy,” said Paet. “We know that become fit through democracy,” he emphasized. According to the foreign minister, we need to provide nations aspiring to join the European Union with a concrete outline and framework for this perspective.
The Estonian foreign minister confirmed that it is essential to approach each aspiring nation on an individual basis. “The ENP countries making more rapid progress should be offered an advanced level of cooperation – the possibility of expanding the four freedoms, deeper economic integration, and visa facilitation,” said Paet. “We also support the setting up of the Neighbourhood Investment Fund as part of the ENP, and we wish to participate in the facility’s trust fund,” he added.
The Neighbourhood Investment Fund (NIF) has been one of the European Commission’s primary initiatives for strengthening the Neighbourhood Policy since 2006. It would enable more investments to be made in ENP receiving countries.
