President of the Government underlines EU commitment to reform processes in Eastern Partnership countries

The President of the Government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, encouraged the countries forming the Eastern Partnership to continue their trade integration with Europe as one of the best ways to foster their transformation into market economies.
The Eastern Partnership was created two years ago and, since then, has consolidated itself as a strategic instrument in EU relations with the countries to the east of Europe even though, as the President of the Government said, there are still some important challenges ahead, such as the Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Ukraine, which will be finalised soon. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero hopes that this agreement will serve as an incentive for the remaining members of the Eastern Partnership to conclude their own agreements.
The President of the Government said that these challenges must be accompanied by the necessary economic and structural reforms, as well as political reforms to enable the consolidation of democracy and respect for human rights in these countries.
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero concluded his speech by highlighting that relations between the European Union and the countries forming the Eastern Partnership present an encouraging outlook, as can be seen by the fact that, in 2010, the EU exported 30 billion euros to these countries and imported 25 billion euros. The President of the Government reiterated the firm support of Europe for the reform processes that lie ahead for these countries.