The Eastern Partnership (EaP) is a joint initiative of the EU and six eastern European countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine) that aims to bring partner countries closer to the EU.
ENI will provide support through bilateral, multi-country and Cross Border Co-operation (CBC) programmes.
National programmes (Bilateral cooperation programmes)
The vast majority of ENI funding is used for bilateral cooperation, tailor-made to each Neighbourhood partner country. Priorities of bilateral cooperation include good 9 governance (incl. justice and security), sustainable economic development (incl. trade, transport, energy, environment) and social and human development (incl. education, health, people-to-people contacts and civil society).
Regional cooperation programmes
Regional cooperation programmes tackle challenges with a regional dimension and promote interstate co-operation on issues of mutual interest in the different regions of the ENP (regional programmes Eastern Neighbourhood available to Belarus).
The multilateral track of the Eastern Partnership will also advance through a number of flagship initiatives. These initiatives will give additional momentum, concrete substance and more visibility to the Partnership. They should seek to mobilise multidonor support, funding from different IFIs and investment from the private sector.
- Integrated Border Management Programme
- Small and Medium-size Enterprise (SME) Flagship Initiative
- Regional Electricity Markets, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Sources Flagship Initiative
- Prevention, Preparedness and Response to natural and man-made Disasters Flagship Initiative (PPRD-East)
- Environmental Governance Flagship Initiative
Multiannual Indicative Programme (MIP)
Multiannual Indicative Programme (MIP) as a successor to the InterRegional Programme of the 2007-2013 programming period defines the priorities for EU support towards the region that are best addressed with Neighbourhood-wide initiatives and provides an indicative level of funding broken down by priority. The European Neighbourhood-wide measures will pursue the following strategic priorities that are identified as strategic objectives notably in the ENP Action Plans / Association Agendas and in the ENI regional and bilateral strategies:
- Building a partnership for inclusive economic development and integration (55%) This priority includes support to physical infrastructure and investment related technical assistance, and private sector development.
- Building a partnership between people (40%) This priority includes the modernisation and opening up of higher education through mobility, academic cooperation and capacity building actions.
- Targeted capacity building (5%) This priority includes supporting the approximation of the regulatory framework to EU norms and standards and enhancing public governance systems.
- Incentive-based approach - The ENI Regulation provides for the use of a multi-country 'umbrella programme' to supplement the financial allocations of selected partner countries on the basis of their progress towards deep and sustainable democracy and 10 the implementation of agreed reform objectives.
The first three main priorities have been chosen for implementation through the Neighbourhood wide programme taking into account ENI Country and Regional Strategies and on-going and planned support from the EU and its Member States.
Cross Border Cooperation (CBC)
Cross Border Cooperation (CBC) promotes economic development and addressing the shared challenges such as the health, environment education in border areas between EU Member States and ENP partner countries. There are three Cross-Border Cooperation programmes where Belarus is a participating country: Baltic Sea Region, Poland-Belarus-Ukraine, Latvia-Lithuania-Belarus.