EUROPEAN NEIGHBORHOOD POLICY: ESTONIA PUSHING FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TALLINN 000272

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV EUN EN
SUBJECT: EUROPEAN NEIGHBORHOOD POLICY: ESTONIA PUSHING FOR
PROGRESS

Classified By: CDA Jeff Goldstein for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d).


1. (SBU) Summary. Estonia continues to be a staunch
advocate of the European Union's (EU) European
Neighborhood Policy (ENP). While the EU has made some
progress in strengthening the ENP, the Government of
Estonia (GOE) feels far more should be done. In
particular, Estonia has been somewhat disappointed with
the level of political support given by the German
Presidency. Within EU fora, Estonia continues to lobby
vigorously with other like-minded EU member states that
the upcoming June European Neighborhood Policy Report
offer substantive, strong, and concrete recommendations.
However, whether or not this is achieved, the GOE has
made clear its commitment to press ahead with its own
outreach and assistance efforts (unilaterally or with
other countries) to promote democracy in Eastern Europe.
End Summary.

Brussels versus Moscow
--------------


2. (SBU) Since joining the EU in 2004, Estonia has
consistently argued that Brussels must draw Eastern
European countries outside the EU closer to itself to
counter Moscow's influence and promote democracy and
stability in the region. As a result, the GOE has
staunchly supported the ENP, repeatedly calling for its
strengthening. After persistent lobbying efforts by
Estonia and other like-minded EU member states, the
European Commission released a Communication in December
2006 outlining an increase in the ENP's budget and
calling for the ENP to be strengthened.

Lobbying for a Stronger ENP
--------------


3. (C) Consequently, the GOE had high hopes that the
German Presidency would put its weight behind the
Commission's Communication and make the ENP a high
priority. Yet, in comparison to Climate Change and the
European Constitution, the ENP has been a second-tier
priority for Berlin. In response, the GOE has renewed
its lobbying efforts within EU fora to keep the ENP on
the German Presidency's radar. For instance, at the EU's
April Gymnich meeting, MFA interlocutors told us that
Estonia and the other Balts won stronger supporting
language for the ENP in the final Gymnich statement. The
GOE's objective is that the EU's upcoming ENP Report
(scheduled for June) contains strong new guidelines with
concrete recommendations to give the ENP more teeth and
substance.


4. (C) Our MFA contacts explained that their goal is to
prevent the ENP from being divided along artificial lines
(e.g., north and south, Balkans and Central Asia, etc.)
and, thereby, avoid the uneven attention given to various
"regional neighborhoods" due to the rotating EU
Presidency. MFA sources have informed us that Portugal,
the next EU Presidency country (July-December 2007),has
already indicated that North Africa will be the focus
during its tenure. In addition, the MFA will continue to
argue that the Report must allow the ENP to evaluate each
country in a case-by-case fashion. As Toomas Lukk, MFA
Director for Eastern Europe, explained, "North African
countries will never join the EU, but Georgia, Ukraine,
and Moldova can one day; therefore, we need a flexible
ENP to allow for these differences." Otherwise, the GOE
is concerned that the ENP may not efficiently address the
needs in the region.

Areas for ENP Improvement
--------------


5. (C) For the Estonians, a strengthened ENP must build
on the ENP's three core areas of outreach: trade and
economy, mobility, and frozen conflicts. For Eastern
European countries, ENP commitments to reform and
integrate their economies along EU lines would provide an
important interim phase before any official EU membership
negotiations. Estonia believes that the ENP can fill the
institutional space prior to opening EU membership
negotiations to aspirant countries. As one MFA official
put it, "The more they do in meeting their ENP
commitments, the stronger our case will be in arguing for
their (EU) membership."

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6. (C) Trade and economic reform and integration will
require the ENP countries to make painful and, therefore,
unpopular decisions. As a result, the Estonians believe
that the EU must provide Eastern European ENP countries
tangible and visible "carrots" to mollify their citizens.
In particular, MFA officials highlighted mobility in the
form of visa facilitation as the most effective carrot
the EU can provide. However, due to the public backlash
against immigration and enlargement fatigue in many EU
member states - especially older ones - our MFA
interlocutors were uncertain if the EU could collectively
step up to the challenge.


7. (C) The last area for improvement concerns how the ENP
should deal with frozen conflicts. MFA officials were not
optimistic that the EU could move beyond the status quo
on this issue. In meetings in Brussels, Lukk said that
he and colleagues from like-minded EU member states had
proposed sending EU peacekeepers to South Ossetia and
other frozen conflict areas in place of Russian
peacekeepers. However, with many EU member states
"apathetic" to the idea of more EU engagement in frozen
conflicts, this idea received little traction.

Not Waiting for Brussels
--------------


8. (SBU) While the GOE continues to press and lobby
within EU fora for a strengthened ENP, Estonia has its
own plans to ramp up its own bilateral development
assistance to ENP countries, especially Georgia, Moldova,
and Ukraine. The GOE is also actively seeking partners
for trilateral cooperative projects in these countries.
Even though it is a small country with limited resources,
Estonia's success in joining the EU and transforming its
economy has given it immense credibility with nearby
countries that hope to emulate Estonia's example. (Note.
Estonia's development assistance activities in the region
will be reported in more detail in septel. End Note.)


9. (C) Comment. Estonia is working hard to punch above
its weight in EU deliberations on the Neighborhood
Policy. Its efforts are in stark contrast to its normal
modus operandi of playing the "good European" by avoiding
confrontation. In doing so, Estonia is showing just how
important it considers the issue of promoting democracy
in the region.
GOLDSTEIN