In November, the EU will convene a landmark summit of the Eastern Partnership, bringing together European heads of state with leaders of the six former Soviet Eastern Partnership countries: Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.
Both EU and Ukrainian leaders have been pushing hard for signature of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement at the summit, which would facilitate Ukraine’s inclusion in European markets and visa-free travel zones. The long-term benefits of Ukraine’s EU Association are expected to be considerable; however, the future remains clouded by tensions over human rights and democracy, Ukraine’s progress on domestic reforms, and competing pressures for Ukraine to join a Russia-led Eurasian economic union. At the same time, the EU itself faces uncertainty in North Africa and the Levant, delicate relations with Moscow, and deep structural challenges in the eurozone.
Join Romano Prodi, former president of the European Commission and former prime minister of Italy, for a discussion of these challenges in Europe’s Eastern neighborhood. Carnegie’s Matthew Rojansky will moderate a question and answer session to be followed by a reception.
