Hello Neighbour! A new EU policy from Morocco to Azerbaijan 

The revitalised ENP - which will "seek to influence the geopolitical area around the EU" and guide the bloc's dealings with its immediate neighbours - will be "unveiled" by French President Nicolas Sarkozy on 13 July and referred to as the 'Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean', explains the June paper. 

As the EU "cannot promise membership to all of its neighbours," the ENP allows the bloc to get closer to neighbouring states "which do not share the prospect of membership," say the authors. 

Nevertheless, despite the bloc's large expenditure on the common neighbourhood policy, "the incentives offered to the EU's neighbours have had little or no effect," they claim, adding that "since 2008 only Morocco, Ukraine, Moldova and Israel have made progress in their relations with the EU". What's more, for Ukraine and Moldova, the Union's proposals are unwelcome because they are seen as "tantamount to an alternative to EU membership" and thus run contrary to their aim of accession. 

The question of future expansion also creates tensions with Poland and other member states which favour enlarging towards the east, setting them against Germany and France, which "make a clear distinction between European neighbours and the neighbours of Europe," states the paper – 'European neighbours' being those who should "join the club" and 'neighbours of Europe' those who should remain outside. 

Alongside the Mediterranean partnership, the Black Sea countries and the EU's eastern neighbours "are at the centre of [other] new initiatives," says the paper, pointing out that MEPs are urging the EU to deepen its "relations with the Black Sea states," particularly to find solutions on common issues such as migration and security. Parliament also wants Turkey and Russia to play a central role in any future Union for the Mediterranean and the Union for the Black Sea, the authors claim. 

The paper identifies four issues which must be addressed if significant progress is to be made: 

• "New multilateral instruments should not impede or overlap bilateral EU relations with individual states" and thus the EU should find "forms of conditionality […] to keep up the pressure to adapt to European norms". 
• "The EU must have a clear idea of what it is prepared to contribute in its relations with the various regions," for example by "opening the European market for agricultural products from the Mediterranean states". 
• "The initiatives for closer cooperation with the Mediterranean states can only be successful if they are part of the EU Community process" to avoid leading the bloc into a "crisis". 
• "Russia and Turkey must be pursuaded to play an active role […] on an equal footing" with the other actors to "help define both goals and strategy".