EU-Russia Relations through the Prism of Four Common Spaces: How Russia Views Them
EU-Russia Relations through the Prism of Four Common Spaces: How Russia Views Them

Author(s): Elena Klitsounova
Subject(s): Politics, Political history, International relations/trade, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), EU-Approach / EU-Accession / EU-Development
Published by: Research Center of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (RC SFPA)
Keywords: EU; Russia; foreign policy; relations; common spaces;
Summary/Abstract: The EU-Russia Four Common Spaces, set up by the two parties in May 2005, is the latest twist in a long series of efforts to give structure and momentum to EU-Russia cooperation. To date there are conflicting views on whether there is any substance behind the high-flying rhetoric of Common Spaces. Some voices insist that in many areas EU-Russian cooperation is much stronger than it was before the launch of the four Common Spaces. Others argue that the EU-Russia interaction within the CS has become increasingly devoid of the constructive cooperation that has been promised. This paper aims at exploring how Russian officials and experts view the four Common Spaces. It argues that most Russian policy makers take the CS to be an opportunity to redefine, in cooperation with the EU, the rationale and operational framework for the EU-Russia relationship.

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