EU–Russian post Ukraine relations – A new beginning?

Rethinking the EU’s policy towards Russia in the years before the Ukraine crisis, the European Union tried to balance two different forms of foreign policy towards former Soviet countries: a structural diplomacy vis-à-vis the Eastern Partnership states (aimed at long term structural reforms) and a strategic diplomacy vis-à-vis Russia (coined in terms of a ‘strategic partnership’). This two-track policy was characterised by inherent tensions, which unintentionally undermined rather than enhanced the EU’s objective of creating stability on its eastern borders. This lecture evaluates the ambiguities of the EU’s policy and reflects on how it may be rethought beyond the current crisis.
Tom Casier is an Academic Director of the Brussels School of International Studies (University of Kent) and currently coordinates a Jean Monnet Multilateral Research Group (MRG), an international research project on EU-Russia relations.
Time: 18.15
Date: 22/10
Place: University Main Building, Hall IX
Price: Free for members, 60 kr for others.
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In collaboration with Folkuniversitetet