Lena Kolarska-Bobińska (PPE), in writing. – The issue of close cooperation with our neighbouring countries has come a long way since the development of the European neighbourhood policy (ENP) and the Eastern Partnership. We are now at the point where we are seeing the partnership strengthen in such vital areas as democratic reforms and the rule of law. We have seen reassuring progress in the field of visa-free travel. However, there is still one major obstacle to a successful partnership: trade. The Eastern Partnership markets, especially Ukraine, are the closest markets to our own. But they do not seem to be a priority for our Member States and the Commission. In light of the continued pressure by Russia on the eastern European countries to join their common market project, which has only grown stronger ahead of the Vilnius Summit, the Commission must redouble its efforts to bring the Partnership countries into our European market. The ENP and the Eastern Partnership should not be perceived as a consolation prize for the countries aspiring to access the EU, but rather as an opportunity for cooperation on the road to a closer union. If we can build our trade relationship, the rest will follow.