Does Eastern Partnership Stand a Chance at Visegrad’s Glory?

The paper scrutinizes the potential of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) to become a success story in terms of building a common regional identity. It provides a brief historic account of the EaP through the concept of Europeanization. It then looks at differences and similarities between the EaP and the Visegrad Group, while also questioning the current willingness and capacity of the European Union to effectively customize its relations with the EaP members. As the EaP has had a rather mixed record, the paper focuses on its front runners Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, advocating a two tier approach to the EaP. It also gives an account of the main internal and external challenges facing the EaP countries in their quest to joining the EU. Russia’s regional ambitions and how they play out with regards to the EaP is viewed through the prism of regional competition between the European and the Eurasian Unions. Finally, looking at the EaP through the lenses the Visegrad Group experience raises a series of non-trivial questions about the nature of current EaP cooperation. It also presents a sobering outlook on the Partnership’s future.