The consultation was broad and inclusive, it ended on 31 October 2019. Over 200 contributions were submitted by nearly all Member States, all six partner countries, the European institutions, United Nations organisations, international financial institutions, youth stakeholders. Public authorities, civil society organisations and individual citizens contributed to the consultations.

Building on the current agenda of 20 deliverables for 2020, the structured consultation inputs, and extensive consultations in each of the 6 partner countries and many EU Member States, a new set of long-term policy objectives was presented in the Joint Communication “Reinforcing Resilience - an Eastern Partnership that delivers for all”, adopted on 18 March 2020.

This document outlines a proposal for long-term policy objectives for the Eastern Partnership beyond 2020 and sets out the measures that aim to strengthen resilience, foster sustainable development and deliver tangible results for society. Together with the Joint Communication, a Joint Staff Working Document contains a summary of the Structured Consultations as well as the latest monitoring report of the 20 deliverables for 2020.

The Joint Communication was acknowledged by the Council in its Council Conclusions on 11 May 2020. Moreover, the conclusions reaffirmed the strategic importance of the Eastern Partnership, and the joint commitment to building a common area of shared democracy, prosperity and stability. The Council stressed the importance of the future Eastern Partnership being a more strategic, ambitious, flexible and inclusive framework for cooperation, allowing participants to tackle common and global challenges jointly in a wide range of areas, especially in the unprecedented situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to the outbreak of coronavirus, the 6th EaP Summit has been delayed until December 2021. However, to mark the strategic importance of the partnership, also in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, a video conference with the leaders of the EU Member States and EaP partner countries was organised on 18 June 2020, preceded by a Foreign Affairs Ministerial call on 11 June.

In both calls the EU Member States and EaP Partner Countries expressed their mutual support and solidarity during the COVID-19 pandemic. They reconfirmed their commitment to the EaP as well as its fundamentals.

Looking to the future, participants welcomed the five policy objectives outlined in the Joint Communication and Council Conclusions as well as the overarching focus on resilience, as basis for the post 2020 policy framework. Furthermore, the Leaders video conference provided the groundwork to develop a new set of deliverables to be endorsed at the physical Summit.

On 2 July, 2021, the European Commission and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy outlined a proposal on how to take forward priorities for cooperation with Eastern partners for years to come, underpinned by an Economic and Investment Plan. The comprehensive agenda aims at:

• increasing trade, growth and jobs;
• investing in connectivity;
• strengthening democratic institutions and the rule of law;
• supporting the green and digital transitions;
• promoting fair, gender-equal and inclusive societies.

The 6th EaP Summit took place on 15 December, 2021. During the Summit, a joint declaration was adopted.

Brussels, Belgium. 13th May 2019.Leaders of the EU and Eastern Partnership group pose for the photograph during the 10th EU-Eastern Partnership council meeting. © Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock