The New EU-Russia Strategic Agreement: An Instrument for Russian Europeanization?
The New EU-Russia Strategic Agreement: An Instrument for Russian Europeanization?

Summary/Abstract: The main objective of this article is an attempt to estimate if the EU possesses any levers of influence that could compel Russia to act accordingly to European „rules of the game“. At the moment Russia seeks to avoid any particular legal or political commitments in relation to the EU. That is probably the central “red line” of Russian policy towards the European Union. This “red line” inevitably draws the contours of the new strategic agree¬ment as well as limits of Russian European engagements. It is argued in this article that whereas EU possesses no levers of influence towards Russia, the principle of reciprocity should be given priority in negotiations of a new strategic agreement as a possible element of “checks and balances” that would limit Russian participation in EU internal market without facing proper obligations.

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