On June 7, 2019, members of the SEnECA consortium organized a discussion on “The EU and Russia in Central Asia, the Eastern Region and the Western Balkans” as part of the TEPSA Pre-Presidency Conference in Helsinki. Julian Plottka (representative of IEP, Germany) spoke on behalf of the SEnECA consortium. Other speakers included Arkady Moshes, Programme Director at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs; Pernille Rieker, Research Professor at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs; and Dušan Reljić, Head of the Brussels office of Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik. The discussion was moderated by Atila Eralp, Professor at the Middle East Technical University.
Participants discussed the involvement of the EU and Russia in Central Asia, the Eastern region, and the Western Balkans. Against the backdrop of the recently published EU Strategy for Central Asia, the speakers explored how the EU’s engagement in the region might evolve in the future. Pernille Rieker commented that the Central Asia Strategy is not focused on specific priorities but instead encompasses a wide range of policy areas. This is due to the extensive consultations held with civil society during the strategy’s preparation, resulting in the inclusion of many diverse viewpoints.
Julian Plottka noted that while it is difficult for the EU to compete with Russia in Central Asia because of Russia’s cultural influence, including through the media, the countries of Central Asia remain interested in closer cooperation with the EU. In particular, the EU has a comparative advantage in the region as a balancing actor and as a partner striving for sustainable connectivity. Arkady Moshes, on the other hand, suggested that Russia’s influence in Central Asia will likely decline in the coming years, while China will increasingly gain importance as both an economic and political player.
Pre-Presidency Conferences (PPCs) are TEPSA’s flagship events. They take place twice a year in the capital of the country that is about to assume the Presidency of the Council of the EU. The main goal of TEPSA’s Pre-Presidency Conferences is to bring together academics and researchers from TEPSA’s wide network, policymakers, the media, and civil society to discuss the agenda and priorities of the upcoming Presidency. The TEPSA PPCs serve as a key platform for dialogue and exchange between policymakers and the academic community.
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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 770256.
