HIQSTEP Front Page

About The Project

Welcome to the site of the EU-funded HiQSTEP Project. Our task is to undertake and produce studies that are necessary for deliberations of the Eastern Partnership Thematic Platforms. The Project started in January 2014 and will go on until January 2018.

In more formal terms, the title of the project is "High Quality Short-term Studies to support activities under the Eastern Partnership"

Its overall objective is to advance the development and the objectives of the Eastern Partnership countries in various areas in view of a closer cooperation of these countries with the EU and among the countries themselves.

The Project Purpose is to produce high quality studies on specific subjects as defined by the Eastern Partnership Platforms and Panels, to support the activities of the said Platforms / Panels in specific areas.  The project supports activities under the multilateral framework of the Eastern Partnership, which are channelled through four Platforms, namely:

  • Platform I – Democracy, good governance and stability
  • Platform II – Economic integration and convergence with EU sectoral policies
  • Platform III – Energy security
  • Platform IV – Contacts between people.

As of November 2017, 21 studies have been launched of which nine are completed; and  seven reports have been published. Twelve studies are ongoing of which three were launched in October and November 2017.

Two of the ongoing studies in the area of energy security - licensing and concession agreements in energy sector; and inventory of EaP Cooperation Activities at Bilateral and Regional Level in the Field of Energy -  have their specific sections on this website as their terms of reference required that a defined web-content should be produced. Other study reports are published as documents in the “HiQstep Studies” section.