EU Association in a Challenging Neighbourhood: Trade Vs Geopolitics

Abstract

In Europe’s eastern neighborhood, a struggle for influence between Russia and the European Union has polarized parties and voters into two camps: those who support a European vision of liberal democracy and those who support a Russian vision of conservative authoritarianism. Paradoxically, while politics in these lands in between increasingly boils down to a zero sum "civilizational choice" between Russia and the West, those who rise to the pinnacle of the political system are often non-ideological power brokers who have found a way to profit from both sides, winning rewards from both Russia and the European Union. As a result, EU institutions and policies have been coopted by unreliable power brokers who use them for their own individual profit and political support, rather than consistent progress towards EU integration.

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