The European Union’s action towards resolving the frozen conflicts in the Eastern neighbourhood has often been described as insufficient, which raises questions on the role of the EU as a security provider in the region. Studying this question from the perspective of the European Parliament, this paper examines and explains the different security aims of the EU put forward by the EP. Based on a content analysis and systematic coding of individual MEP interventions during the 26 debates held in the EP on Moldova and the South Caucasus countries from 2003 (start of the ENP) to 2014, the paper argues that the EU’s security missions in its neighbourhood as called for by the EP are more ambitious than its actual achievements on the ground. This finding has important implications on the way the EP conceives of the EU’s regional goals and tries to exert influence on European foreign policy.
