Does the eastern partnership still need a "success story"?

Abstract

The article undertakes a comparative analysis of the evolution of the six former soviet republics within the framework of the Eastern Partnership, highlighting the differences between the levels of Europeanization of these countries. The research demonstrates that after two years of existence, the Eastern Partnership still needs to convince the high-level European leaders about its relevance for the EU foreign policy and to become more attractive for the post soviet republics. As the economic crisis and the Arab Spring shifted EU’s attention from its Eastern neighbours and the rollback of democracy that took place in some Eastern partners, and the lack of positive progress in others increased EU leaders’ reluctance towards former soviet republics, the Eastern Partnership needs a new impetus. A "successful story" could be a powerful example both for the Eastern neigbhours and the EU skeptical leaders. Republic of Moldova is the most active country within the Eastern Partnership surpassing Georgia and Ukraine as the best pupil. However before becoming a successful story, Chisinau has to implement more essential reforms and to curb the widespread corruption. Which is not an easy tusk without the EU's support. The methods used for this research are documentary and discourse analysis.