The EAEU as Perceived by the Western Scientific and Expert Community (Bibliographic Essay)

Abstract

In the context of the ongoing crisis in EU-Russia relations, the search for new formats of economic dialogue becomes particularly relevant. With the assistance of the Eurasian Economic Commission, various platforms are being created to explore the possibilities for cooperation between the EAEU and the EU in the areas of trade, investment, convergence of technological standards, etc., with the participation of leading experts and business circles. However, despite the gradual growth of interest in issues of Eurasian economic integration within the Western scientific and expert community, skepticism regarding the EAEU still prevails. The EAEU itself is mostly seen as a political project initiated by Russia and unable to bring real economic benefits to its member countries. US and European observers dwell on unequal economic opportunities of the EAEU countries, insufficient mutual trade and mixed consequences of the transition to common customs tariffs for Kazakhstan and Armenia. Moreover, in many European publications the EAEU is perceived not as a possible economic partner of the EU, but as its geopolitical competitor. Most experts conclude that cooperation between the EU and the EAEU is either impossible or possible only on a limited scale. Nevertheless, the attitude of Western experts towards the EAEU is gradually changing. Integration processes in the Post-Soviet space are increasingly viewed through the prism of the theory of new regionalism. It is noted that the EAEU, as well as another project in Eurasia - the Silk Road Economic Belt, may become an alternative to Western models of integration. Over the past four years, besides economic costs, Eurasian integration has also brought certain dividends to its members, which, however, do not always lie on the surface and are often of a political nature. In this regard, some European experts and scholars (although they still constitute a minority), mainly from Germany and Austria, admit that it is counterproductive for the EU to ignore the EAEU, and advocate for cooperation between them.