The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) was designed with a clear conflict prevention potential, addressing political and economic dimensions of instability alongside conflict resolution measures. The interplay of ENP structural measures with CSDP tools is the focus of this reflection, in the particular case of the Eastern Partnership (EaP). The paper addresses the ways in which EaP policies and instruments, including the promotion of political and economic reforms, interact with CSDP tools and their impact on the Georgian conflicts. The EU’s policy mix in the cases of Abkhazia and South Ossetia illustrates the need for closer articulation between EU trade and visa policies and the international mediation efforts led by the EU. Other areas linked to democracy promotion and human rights could also reinforce the conflict transformation efforts led by the EU. By looking at this interaction between structural and short and medium-term instruments, the article seeks to understand the obstacles hampering the EU’s goal of increased coherence and effectiveness in promoting security in the neighbourhood. Path-dependency and institutional bias as well as diverging national preferences and week institutionalization of CSDP are among the most significant obstacles to more effective EU security policies. Although, in the case of the Georgian conflicts external factors are also relevant, the paper focuses on the EU dimension as a means to understand how positive synergies can be established.
