Office of External Relations
June 14, 2020
On Friday NATO recognized Ukraine as Enhanced Opportunities Partner

What does that mean?

“On Friday (12 June 2020), the North Atlantic Council
recognised Ukraine as an Enhanced Opportunities Partner. This status is part of NATO’s Partnership Interoperability Initiative, which aims to maintain and deepen cooperation between Allies and partners that have made significant contributions to NATO-led operations and missions.”  


Rasmussen Global set out what that would mean in 2018 - and now does in 2020
 
 
NATO’s Enhanced
Opportunities Partners
 
Background and implications for Ukraine
July 20, 2018
 
 
1.     What is EOP status?
 
In the aftermath of Wales in 2014, and as the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan was about to wind down, NATO launched the  Enhanced Opportunities Partnership for Dialogue and Cooperation (EOP)  in order for the Alliance to  maintain and strengthen  the  interoperability  developed between  Allies and  their  key partners  during Afghanistan.
 
EOP  is awarded only to the most interoperable of partners who have significantly contributed to NATO missions.  Only 5 states  were invited – Australia, Jordan, Finland and Sweden and Georgia. This status is reviewed every 3 years, with the last renewal in Nov 2017.
 
EOP  is an agreement to commit to doing more together. Specifically, EOP involves a  tailor-made cooperation for specific opportunities :
 
more political consultations  including at the ministerial level;
more access to exercises;
sharing of information ;
more preparation for operations and crisis management .
 
The  partners  get a lot of  flexibility  in terms of  defining the partnership . For example, as a result of EOP status,  Sweden  and  Finland  are discussing Baltic security with NATO Allies.  Should it receive EOP status, Ukraine could similarly do the same with Georgia and other NATO allies with respect to Black Sea Security, cyber or hybrid warfare.
 
Finland  and  Sweden , in particular, are very integrated with the Alliance. Besides the frequent political consultations, they exercise regularly and they participate in the  NATO Response Force  (NRF).
 
 
2.    Why should Ukraine have EOP status in 2018?
 
Ukraine has  met the criteria  for joining  NATO’s Enhanced Opportunities Program  since 2014 It is therefore high time for it to receive EOP 4 years later.
 
Not only has Ukraine been a significant contributor to Allied operations and the NATO Response Force (NRF), but last year,  Ukraine  was recognized by Allies  for increasing  its  contribution  to  Resolute Support Mission (RSM),  the successor to ISAF after 2014.
Both Georgia and Ukraine are contributors to the NRF, in addition to Finland and Sweden . This makes Ukraine the  only one among the four partners which is a contributor to the NRF but not an EOP country .
 
Ukraine is not the only one who would stand to benefit from an enhanced cooperation with NATO. With the most  battle-hardened force  on the European continent and a significant military industrial complex, Ukrainian capabilities, knowledge, and technical expertise would be of significant value to the Alliance.
 
Ukraine’s commitment to allocating sufficient funds for defense far surpasses that of many NATO Allies as it  allocates around 5% of GDP to defense spending . Given that the bulk of European Allies and Canada still spend under 2%, this would put most NATO members to shame.
 
EOP status is not a replacement for NATO membership,  nor does it  alter Ukraine’s status as a self-declared aspirant for membership, since Georgia has EOP status as well. However, EOP could be an important next stage in the relationship between Ukraine and NATO. 
 
Ultimately, EOP status is  an important political message  as it is given to the closest of partners. Awarding it to Ukraine would be a timely recognition of Ukraine’s efforts and contributions, and a show of Allied solidarity at a time when Ukraine confronts continued aggression by Russia and its proxies in the illegally occupied Donbas region

Bob McConnell
Coordinator, External Relations
U.S.-Ukraine Foundation’s Friends of Ukraine Network

Robert A. McConnell is a co-founder of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation and Coordinator of External Relations for the Foundation’s Friends of Ukraine Network. He is Principal of R.A. McConnell and Associates. Previously, he has served as head of the Government Advocacy Practice at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Vice President – Washington for CBS, Inc, and Assistant Attorney General in the Department of Justice during the Reagan Administration. rmcconnell@usukraine.org
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