ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the various national positions of EU Member States (EUMS) relative to the goals of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). It examines the conceptual and empirical challenges of the ENP, its normative inconsistency, its policy content and its performance in the wake of key negative reviews. The chapter presents cases that look at key EUMS – notably France, Germany and Poland, whose impact upon the ENP has affected the project most profoundly. The chapter explores the symbiotic connection between the construction of the ENP and the consequent impact of its uneasy implementation upon national geopolitical aspirations. It analyses the apparent shift to a pragmatic, traditional foreign policy, based on ranked preferences within the neighbourhood and the interests rather than the core values of the EU. The Eastern Partnership has transformed from an EU-level foreign policy project to a deeply politicised issue with significant local implications.
