Prime Minister Katainen to Eastern Partnership Summit in Warsaw
The EU Member States and their eastern partner countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine will hold an Eastern Partnership Summit in Warsaw on 29 and 30 September. Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen will represent Finland at the Summit.
The aim of the Summit is to discuss activities carried out during the first two years of the Eastern Partnership and to provide ideas for future planning. The Summit will also aim to make the Eastern Partnership more visible both in partner countries and in the EU and increase the partner countries' commitment to the European Neighbourhood Policy. The first summit of the Eastern Partnership was held in Prague in 2009.
Finland is of the opinion that a stable, prosperous and democratic neighbourhood serves the interests of both the EU and Finland. Finland considers it important to support and encourage the broad-based reforms that EU integration requires in the partner countries.
The Warsaw Summit will be chaired by Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Poland, the country currently holding the EU Presidency. The Eastern Partnership is one of the two dimensions of the European Neighbourhood Policy. The other is formed by the EU's southern partners which include 11 countries in North Africa and Middle East.
Inquiries: Pasi Rajala (until 28 September), Special Adviser, EU Affairs, tel. +358 9 1602 2055 or +358 400 464 393, Juho Romakkaniemi (as of 29 September), Special Adviser, EU Affairs, tel. +358 9 1602 2055 or +358 400 505 269, Antti Vänskä, Special Adviser, International Affairs, tel. +358 9 1602 2068 or +358 40 513 1458 and Mikko Norros, Head of Communications, EU Affairs, tel. +358 9 1602 4008 or +358 40 547 6280, Prime Minister’s Office