To discuss the prospects of the Eastern dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy after Ukraine and Moldova received a perspective for EU membership the University of Passau and the Multilateral Dialoge Vienna invite you to the EUCON Round Table “The Future of the EU Policy Towards the Southern Caucasus and Central Asia”. The debate takes place on 11 October 2023 at 7.00 p.m. at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. Österreich – Multilateral Dialogue Vienna, Kärntner Ring 15 1010 Vienna
To join the event, please register via email to florence.ertel@uni-passau.de
Please download the agenda here: Agenda Eucon Round Table
The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine is changing the geopolitical environment in the post-Soviet area. With the exception of Belarus, it strengthened Eastern European states’ orientation towards the West and accelerated their rapprochement to the EU. In the Southern Caucasus and Central Asia, there is a growing interest in closer relations with the bloc. However, these countries’ interest is less driven by a wish for European integration, but the necessity to balance the increasing influence of China in the region, since Russia is not a viable option for counterbalancing anymore.
There is a window of opportunity for strengthening the EU’s foreign policy role in political and economic terms. The partner countries are especially interested in deepening their economic relations with the EU. Western sanctions against Russia have led to the relocation of both companies and experts from Russia to countries such as Kazakhstan and Armenia. To a certain degree, these countries have also become hubs to circumvent these sanctions.
Current developments in the Union’s Eastern Neighbourhood require a reconsideration of the EU’s policy towards the region. With maybe three countries moving to Enlargement Policy, how could a future Eastern Partnership – with Armenia and Azerbaijan remaining, look like? In the short-term, the EU should upgrade its relations with these countries. Still, the strong focus on the war in Ukraine und
the already largely exhausted flexibility of the current Multiannual Financial Framework limit resources available for reinforcing EU engagement. In the medium-term, a revision of the institutional setup of the EU policy towards Eastern Europe, the Southern Caucasus and Central Asia is necessary, since the current Eastern Partnership will become dysfunctional with only three remaining partner states.