ABSTRACT
This chapter examines European Union (EU) attempts to influence the politics, economics and administration of its three immediate neighbours to the east—Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova—with which the Union shares a long land border. It introduces some of the theoretical approaches used in the study of EU external governance, followed by a discussion of the challenges and opportunities the EU faces in the region. The chapter focuses on the regional and bilateral initiatives advanced in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) by the central institutions in Brussels. It explores the degree of success with which these initiatives have been met. The chapter discusses the specific programmes that have been launched and supported by the EU and that embody the principles and objectives. It outlines the evolution of EU relations with Eastern Europe. Relations with Eastern Europe constitute one of the EU top foreign policy priorities.
