Events

Striking a Eurasian balance in EU-Russian relations?
Europe/Amsterdam 02 2016 14:45
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Introduction

The European Policy Centre, in cooperation with Clingendael Institute, organized this Policy Dialogue.

Since the break-up of the former Soviet Union, Moscow has come up with several initiatives aimed at reintegrating the former Soviet space. The Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), which was launched at the beginning of 2015, is the latest. The EEU has provided the EU with a new range of geopolitical and geo-economic challenges, in particular, in developing its Eastern Partnership policy towards those countries that aspire to have Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements (DCFTAs) with the EU (which Russia views as contrary to its own interests in the Greater Eurasian region).

While the EU has consistently rejected formal relations with the EEU, some form of engagement could help Brussels create new channels of dialogue on trade relations with Russia, especially when simultaneously intensifying dialogue and cooperation with individual EEU member states on a bilateral level. Whether small steps in this direction could also increase the EU’s ability to effectively address such a complex regional issue such as the Ukraine crisis, remains an open question and depends much on Russia’s geopolitical perspectives and policies. The question is how to strike the right balance?

A panel of experts analysed possible scenarios for the future of the EU’s relations with the EEU and their likely impact on the EU’s relations with Russia, based on a new report by Clingendael: “From Competition to Compatibility. Striking a Eurasian balance in EU-Russian relations”.