Europe’s unrecognised neighbours: The EU in Abkhazia and South Ossetia
Published: Monday 19 March 2007 Updated: Tuesday 20 March 2007

The EU must deal with secessionist conflicts in its Eastern neighbourhood before it can begin to achieve its policy objectives in Georgia, argues this paper by Associate Research Fellow Nicu Popescu of the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS).
The author focuses on EU policy towards Georgia and the secessionist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, arguing that the EU can contribute to conflict resolution in Georgia through greater inclusion of the regions in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP).
“From the Balkans to the Middle East, and from the South Caucasus to Western Sahara, the EU is encircled with conflicts which affect the security of the EU,” Popescu writes, and therefore the EU has no choice but to take action, especially since conflict resolution is one of the priorities of the ENP.
According to the author, the secessionist conflicts in the EU’s Eastern neighbourhood are "important tests for the whole web of the EU’s bilateral and multilateral relations with all of its Eastern partners", since the EU "can do little in the East without stumbling on these secessionist conflicts".
The EU’s policies towards the conflicts of Abkhazia and South Ossetis also raise important implications as regards "the scale of its involvement in its neighbourhood and its relations with Russia".
The paper continues by exploring the potential of greater EU involvement in Georgia’s conflicts, as well as the effects and perceptions of EU actions in secessionist entities, before concluding with a number of recommendations.

CEPS: Europe’s Unrecognised Neighbours: The EU in Abkhazia and South Ossetia (15 March 2007)