"I welcome today's decision of the European Parliament's executive body to give a green light to the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly. We can now progress within the Eastern Partnership by launching its parliamentary assembly. The agreement was founded on the suspension of Belarus from the Assembly until the undemocratic development in the country has been reversed", commented Gunnar Hökmark MEP, EPP Group spokesperson on the Eastern Partnership, during today's decision by the Conference of Presidents to proceed towards a constituent Assembly this spring.

This is an important step forward for the European Union and five of its eastern neighbours; Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The constituent meeting of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly will now be held before the Eastern Partnership Summit in May.

"It is obviously a great pain that the development in Belarus has taken a turn for the worse and we all long for democratic progress. The European Parliament, however, maintains its open door policy, as the participation of members of the Belarusian parliament remains conditioned upon the demonstration of real democratic progress and respect for human rights and the rule of law".

For further information:
Gunnar HÖKMARK MEP, Tel: +32-2-2845822
Per Heister, EPP Group Press & Communications Service, Tel: +32-496-645530
Marek Hannibal, EPP Group Press & Communications Service, Tel: +32-475-753048

Notes to Editors:
The EPP Group is by far the largest political group in the European Parliament with 265 Members.