In reaction to today's announcement of the Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council on A New Response to a Changing Neighbourhood, five EPP Group MEPs have sent a letter and a non-paper to High Representative Catherine Ashton and Commissioner Stefan Füle emphasising the importance of the Eastern dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy and the need for a balanced EU approach towards its Eastern and Southern neighbours.

The non-paper, elaborated in the framework of the Visegrad Plus Initiative launched and led by five European People's Party Members of the European Parliament representing the countries of the region - Jacek Saryusz-Wolski MEP (Poland), György Schöpflin MEP (Hungary), Andrey Kovatchev MEP (Bulgaria), Eduard Kukan MEP (Slovakia), and Traian Ungureanu MEP (Romania), outlines several proposals envisaging a strong EU commitment to the Eastern dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy, namely the Eastern Partnership.

Non-paper: European Neighbourhood Policy (Eastern Dimension) [1]

For further information:
Joanna Bekker [2], EPP Group Press and Communications Service (Poland), Tel: +32-476-943388
Miklós Panyi [3], EPP Group Press and Communications Service (Hungary), Tel: +32-473-866137
Statul Karabashev [4], EPP Group Press and Communications Service (Bulgaria), Tel: +32-474-941991
Atilla Agárdi [5], EPP Group Press and Communications Service (Slovakia), Tel: +32-475-750272
Eugen Sandu [6], EPP Group Press and Communications Service (Romania), Tel: +32-472-547584