EU-Russia borders
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| EU Enlargement and and Neighbourhood Policy |
With its historic enlargement on 1 May 2004, the European Union (EU) will enter a new phase in its development. This phase has, first, an internal dimension, as the EU has recognised the need for thorough reform of its institutions and decision-making rules, so that the Union remains manageable and well-managed with more than 25 Member States. Second, a new phase will also start in terms of the EU’s role, since its growing political and economic weight has to be matched by a stronger foreign policy personality.Full text HTML & PDF> |
| Shuttle Trade and New Border Regimes |
The disintegration of the former Soviet bloc in Central and Eastern Europe was accompanied by the opening of borders between the states of the region, making travel between the states of the former Soviet bloc much easier than it had been before. This rapidly acquired an immense practical and economic significance for ordinary people, as crossing borders became a vital means of cushioning the shocks of economic transition.Full text HTML & PDF> |
| Economic Development in Kaliningrad |
In a perfect world, economic development in Kaliningrad would simply entail writing a prescription of what needs to be done, and then sitting back to see the benefits appear – rather like a doctor prescribing an effective medicine for a simple ailment. Unfortunately, the real world does not work like this. The question is complicated and difficult, and the answer elusive. This requires an initial reminder that there are deep controversies over how the overall process of ‘transition’ can best be managed – in Russia, as well as the rest of the central and east European countries. This shows how complex is the Kaliningrad question.Full text HTML & PDF> |
| Relations between Russia and the EU: What the Future Holds (The European Aspect of Kaliningrad as a Pilot Region) |
The East-West Institute (EWI), an international non-profit-making organisation, has been in existence for over 20 years. Under the motto ‘bridging new divides’, the EWI is active in conflict resolution, international cooperation, security (in the broadest sense) and what is known as building civil society. This broad scope is combined with clearly-established priorities and practical action.Full text HTML & PDF> |
| Russian-International Collaboration on Kaliningrad's Borders |
More than nine million people cross the borders controlled by the Kaliningrad oblast’s Border Service every year; the last decade has seen a consistent rise in the number of crossings and the trend is set to continue as the EU enlarges. The law-enforcement bodies of Kaliningrad have in the same period increasingly engaged in cross-border cooperation with their peers in the EU member states and accession countries, notably in the area of border controls.Full text HTML & PDF> |
| The Perspective of Kaliningrad’s Policy Makers and Practitioners |
Kaliningrad is now surrounded by states that are members of both the EU and NATO, the eurozone and the Schengen area. Kaliningrad is relevant to the enlargement of these institutions and the processes of integration. It will be impossible to create a unified Europe without determining the place and role of this Russian enclave in the future European security structure. It is a controversial issue at a time when the people of Kaliningrad are beginning to get a sense of the internal transformations taking place within the accession countries. Poland’s and Lithuania’s adoption of European regulations, particularly with respect to border controls, visas and trade, will directly affect Kaliningrad’s livelihood, freedom of movement, cross-border cooperation and the implementation of transport, energy and environmental projects. For the people of Kaliningrad, these issues are not the stuff of high politics, but of daily life. The region’s social and economic welfare will depend upon finding timely solutions.Full text HTML & PDF> |
| Euregio Karelia: A Model for Cross-Border Cooperation with Russia? |
The end of the Cold War has changed images of Europe and its borders dramatically. The re-conceptualisation of borders and cross-border interaction has been particularly profound in the case of Finland and its eastern borders. In terms of international politics, the border has lost its meaning as a dividing-line between two rival social and political systems, or as a ‘Finlandised’ grey zone between them. But this has not meant that the Finnish-Russian border has been stripped of supranational definitions. Since 1995 when Finland joined the EU, Finland’s eastern border has been the only land border between the European Union (EU) and the Russian Federation. Consequently, the border has become an object of manifold ‘Europeanisation’, and cross-border interaction has been re-conceptualised in terms of European integration and EU politics.Full text HTML & PDF> |
| Murmansk oblast and Integration with Northern Europe |
Regional cooperation within the European Union (EU) is being studied closely in Russia. In many respects, the success of cooperation between regions within the framework of a single space is dependent upon the implementation of the principle of subsidiarity. This was set out in the European Outline Convention on Trans-frontier Cooperation signed by the Council of Europe in 1980, commonly known as the Madrid Convention. Russia joined the Convention and ratified it in 2002, but protocols still need to be ratified. Attempts to introduce the Euroregion model of cross-border cooperation are under way between Karelia and Kaliningrad and their respective neighbours. A sufficient legislative base has been established in order to stimulate cross-border relations: there are federal laws, presidential decrees and the Concept for Cross-Border Cooperation. Significant support is being given by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the form of the Department of Relations between Subjects of the Federation, with its Consultative Council comprising representatives of all of Russia’s regions. A meeting of the State Council of Russia in January 2003 was dedicated to developing cross-border cooperation.Full text HTML & PDF> |
| Europe’s Economic Interest Towards Russia |
The creation of a common economic space or a free-trade zone between Russia and the rest of Europe has been on the agenda since the political transition accelerated a decade ago. However, not much has been achieved in that time. This paper will argue that, for Europe, this delay is costly. This may not seem so at first glance: Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP) is only 3.5% that of the European Union (EU). Nevertheless, Russia can offer Europe much more than the oil, gas and energy products that currently dominate trade between the two economies.Full text HTML & PDF> |
