PROSPECTS AND LIMITATIONS OF THE EURASIAN NEIGHBORHOOD POLICY

Abstract

The article discusses current aspects of the development of relations between the Eurasian Economic Union and neighboring countries, primarily with CIS countries that are not members of the EAEU. Such relationships are reinforced by mutual economic interests, but at the same time they are complicated by strong foreign and foreign economic policies pluralism of CIS states as well as high activity and growing presence of non-regional players (especiallyChina, the EU,Turkey) in the post-Soviet space. The fragile balance of centripetal and centrifugal tendencies in the development of post-Soviet integration still persists, however additional measures are needed to ensure economic cooperation between the EAEU and the CIS countries outside the EAEU and also in the CIS contour as a whole. The concept of the Eurasian Neighborhood Policy is proposed as a framework platform for the implementation of such measures, leading to stronger integrity and connectivity of the post-Soviet space, realization of joint cooperation programmes and projects. The instruments of the neighborhood policy may include extended economic partnership agreements between the EAEU and interested CIS and other neighboring countries, sectoral agreements between them (for instance, regarding technical regulation issues) with expected fast practical effects, deeper conjugation of the EAEU and CIS formats.