The Eastern Partnership (EaP) initiative was launched during the EU Summit in Prague in 2009. It essentially builds on the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) from 2004, which on the one hand aims at bringing countries that are in the EU's vicinity, but not yet eligible for full accession talks, closer to the European Union. On the other hand it helps these countries to benefit from European experiences on societal progress and market liberalization.

The EaP is built on a 'five plus one' structure involving Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine - but could also be extended to Belarus provided that the country would enhance fundamental liberal values such as freedom of assembly, expression and press that would represent a credible move away from the worrying tendencies of authoritarianism that has increasingly embodied the country over the past years.

As proponents of further European integration, liberals support this initiative, and are committed to seeing its promising aims transformed from mere theory into concrete and actual practice. Consequently, this workshop was a kick-off in a longer endeavor. It will be followed up with events, some of which will also be hosted in the countries of the EaP, ensuring a broad representation of people to allow different voices, concerns and demands to be heard. The workshop in Berlin brought together a wide participation of liberal politicians from both the EU countries and the EaP beneficiaries and constituted an excellent occasion to discuss and draw up an initial liberal response to the four thematic platforms that the Commission has envisaged for the EaP (democracy, good governance and stability; economic integration and convergence with EU policies; energy security; contacts between people).

With member parties in three of the countries of the Eastern Partnership, ELDR has an interest in promoting this initiative, something also underlined by ELDR President Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck: "for us, the Eastern Partnership is not an alternative, a second best to EU membership - rather the opposite. ... Provided that the countries work eagerly and successfully together with the EU ... the EU should have no reason to exclude them from potential accession talks, would they be interested in it".

Substantial progress is needed in many areas of these countries. Handled wisely, the Eastern Partnership could be a good start. What has to be ensured is that it does not become yet another paper tiger with ambitious targets but little actual output. Liberals across Europe remain committed to play their part in the realisation of this initiative.