The European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) was created with the aim of extending the area of prosperity, stability and security to the new EU neighbors following the EU Enlargement in 2004. The ENP applies to the immediate neighbors by land or sea: Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine. The EU has developed a Strategic Partnership with Russia covering four “common spaces”. The central elements of the ENP are the bilateral Action Plans that set a clear agenda for harmonization of product standards and provide detailed provisions on customs, state aid and competition policy. The implementation of the ENP Action Plans is to lay grounds for the conclusion of deep and comprehensive Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with the ENP partners, covering substantially all trade in goods and services and including legally-binding provisions on trade and economic regulatory issues.

The aim of the CASE study carried out by Maryla Maliszewska, Iryna Orlova and Svitalan Taran and published in CASE Network Report series is to estimate the likely impact of the institutional harmonization through the removal of non-tariff barriers (NTBs) in trade with the EU in selected countries, namely Russia,  Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine. The study begins with a review of studies on deep integration and on the measurement of NTBs in Central and Eastern Europe and in CIS countries in the Chapter 2. Then the authors proceed with an overview of the progress in harmonization of product standards and reform of the conformity assessment infrastructure, customs and barriers to foreign provision of services in the CIS5 (Chapter 3). Finally, the report provides the estimates of the likely impact of FTAs between the EU and the CIS5, looking at a Simple FTA (tariff reductions) and a Deep FTA (significant reduction of NTBs and improvements in the business environment).

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