It was chiefly Poland and Sweden that initiated the EaP as a structured policy to facilitate closer relations between the EU and Eastern European partners and support regional cooperation. Presented at the European Council summit in June 2008, the initiative met with support from the European Commission and EU Member States. The programme was officially launched on 7 May 2009 at a Summit of Heads of State and Government from the EU and partner countries in Prague.

Over the course of its existence, the EaP has developed an effective formula for extensive cooperation involving all countries in the region, as well as mechanisms that inspire and support pro-European reforms. To a large extent, thanks to the Partnership, the formal and legal framework established within it, and the process of approximation to the EU and its standards (in particular through AA/DCFTA agreements), the EU was able to decide to begin accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. These countries are not only conducting the process of necessary reforms and approximation to the EU, but also integrating in the trade sphere.

Thanks to the Partnership, people-to-people contacts between the EU and partner countries have been improved and developed, including through the process of visa liberalization, opening EU programs to the participation of partner countries and activating young people. By implementing a number of programs, the EaP has recorded concrete results in the area of ​​support for small and medium-sized enterprises, job creation, connectivity, energy efficiency, environmental protection, training for independent journalists, support for non-governmental organizations, etc. The Partnership is also developing dynamically outside the sphere of intergovernmental cooperation, the best example of which is the activity of the EaP Civil Society Forum (CSF), but also the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly and the Conference of Regional and Local Authorities of the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP).

Although the EaP remains an effective initiative for implementing the EU's policy towards its eastern neighbours, it is currently facing new challenges, primarily as a result of the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine. Another new factor is the increasing divergence among the six countries in terms of the level of their cooperation with the EU. Ukraine and Moldova have made the most progress in this area. On the other hand, Belarus, which has unilaterally suspended its participation in the Partnership, is at the opposite end of the spectrum. There has been a decline in the level of interest in Georgia's policy. In the case of Armenia, we are witnessing a process of intensification of relations with the EU. Azerbaijan, on the other hand, is focusing on cooperation in the areas of transport and energy.

Poland will continue to stimulate discussion in the EU aimed at reinvigorating the Eastern Partnership and adapting it to the current geopolitical situation, including, among others, at activating the Partnership in building the region's resilience, also against hybrid threats, pushing out Russia's influence through multi-faceted cooperation with eastern partners, as well as expanding the space of European standards and values ​​by further intensifying cooperation with the most committed partners. Two events dedicated to the Eastern Partnership, organised in mid-April 2025 in Warsaw, as part of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU – the Eastern Partnership Business Forum and the Meeting of Special Envoys, Ambassadors and Directors for the Eastern Partnership – were a particular expression of our commitment.