Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine has dramatically reshaped the continent’s safety scenery and led the EU to intensify its engagement with the east Partnership countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. At the same time, the governments of these countries are following increasingly divergent democratic trajectories, further exposing increasing disparities in their strategical alignment with the EU, political will for democracy, and improvement capacity.
For more than a decade, the Eastern Partnership civilian Society Forum, the civilian society platform supporting democratic transformation and European integration in the east Partnership countries, has been tracking the advancement of these countries in democracy, good governance, and policy convergence with the EU. This work is captured in its flagship biennial publication, the Eastern Partnership Index, the monitoring tool based on contributions from over 60 regional experts, ensuring locally grounded, independent analysis and recommendations for the EU, national governments, and civilian society.
The 2025 edition of the east Partnership Index reveals that despite persistent external and interior challenges, Moldova and Ukraine, the highest-ranking countries in the Index, have made advancement in areas specified as state accountability, independent media, marketplace economy, energy and transport policies. Moldova’s push for organization improvement is exemplified by the SPRINT programme, a professional improvement initiative for young public servants that has shown promising early results in strengthening skills and boosting the public sector’s appeal. In Ukraine, advancement across multiple sectors reflects the remarkable resilience of society and a strong commitment to democracy and EU integration. However, crucial work remains for both candidate countries to close gaps, peculiarly in independency of the judiciary, human rights protections, and the fight against corruption, all critical priorities for EU accession negotiations.
Armenia has besides improved its overall performance, peculiarly in transport, energy, marketplace economy, and the implementation of sustainable improvement goals. However, the situation regarding good governance and the regulation of law remains fragile, as indicated by slight regressions in respective scores.
While Georgia’s overall score remains unchanged from the erstwhile Index edition, sharp declines in democratic rights, elections and pluralism, state accountability, independent media, freedoms of opinion, expression, assembly and association, judicial independence, and the fight against corruption reflect the harsh realities experienced by civilian society. These setbacks underscore a crucial departure from democratic norms engineered by the Georgian Dream Party. Notably, the Index highlights a case survey on the misuse of electronic voting technologies during Georgia’s 2024 parliamentary elections. Despite these challenges, Georgian citizens and civilian society stay steadfastly pro-European and continues to advocate for democratic values with remarkable determination.
Azerbaijan and Belarus are the worst performers across nearly all areas of democracy, good governance, and the regulation of law. Both countries persist in imprisoning political opponents and have intensified their persecution of journalists and civilian society. To respond to the worsening human rights situation in Azerbaijan and Belarus, the EU should establish a clear legal framework for addressing cases of political imprisonment, and supply comprehensive support to political prisoners and their families.
As the EU moves forward in its cooperation with the east Partnership countries, it is essential to combine principled support with the active engagement of civilian society. As highlighted by the Index, sustained civilian society participation remains a crucial driver of democratic advancement in the region.
Read all the findings of the east Partnership Index 2025 here.
Yana Brovdiy – Advocacy and east Partnership Index Manager, east Partnership civilian Society Forum
Kerry Longhurst – east Partnership Index Executive Editor
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