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From Walls to Fences: Understanding Europe’s New East –West Divide

From Walls to Fences: Understanding Europe’s New East –West Divide. Joan DeBardeleben Institute of European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies Carleton University, Ottawa. Something there is that doesn’t love a wall . . . He [my neighbour] says again, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’.

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From Walls to Fences: Understanding Europe’s New East –West Divide

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  1. From Walls to Fences:Understanding Europe’s New East –West Divide Joan DeBardeleben Institute of European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies Carleton University, Ottawa

  2. Something there is that doesn’t love a wall . . .He [my neighbour] says again, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’ Excerpted from Robert Frost, Mending Wall

  3. Explanations of fluctuations in EU-Russian relations • Values and norms • Conflicting interests • Governance structures

  4. 1. Values and Norms • The nature of the purported values clash • Mass and elite values (do they differ?) • The power context (Is it about values or about power? • Is Russia a European country? • Values vs. their application • EU as normative actor? Russian resistance to EU’s export of its value positions • Values and market economics (differences over interpretation of market principles and role of the state in the economy, e.g., in context of Gasprom dispute relating to EU’s 3rd energy package)

  5. Mostly shared Trade (WTO accession) Investment Energy interdependence Non-proliferation Common security threats (anti-terrorism) Long term goal of visa-free travel More conflictual Specific trade issues Market access (e.g. energy, 3rd energy package) Siberian overflight charges Middle East (Iran, Syria) Priorities (environment) Geopolitical competition in neighbourhood Realization of visa-free travel 2. Interests

  6. 3. Governance: the questions • How do differences in governance structures between the EU and Russia affect their relationship with one another? • What kind of governance mechanisms have been developed to govern the relationship? • Do they involve externalization of EU governance (Gänzle) or a mix of EU and Russian governance mechanisms?

  7. Governance Structures: Summary EU Multilevel governance Difficulties in reaching shared position Role for civil society actors Diffuse foreign policy identity Highly institutionalized, greater transparency Pooled sovereignty Russia Formally federal but actually hierarchical Unifed state actor Limited role for civil society actors Foreign policy as a focal point of identity formation Limted institutional constraints, very limited transparency Emphasis on state sovereignty

  8. Types of problems 1) Problems of recognition and understanding • deficient levels of knowledge and understanding • poor intuitive fit 2) Problems of decision-making • lack of agreed decision-making procedures • different decision-making styles 3) Problems of legitimation • lack of shared legitimizing discourse reinforcing misunderstandings • asymmetry in public presentation and discourse

  9. Multi-level aspect: types of interaction • EURussian state • Member stateRussian state (focus Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Germany) • Schengen, MSRussian state (focus border transit) • Member stateOblast’, city • City, local Oblast’, city, local • Border region/city Border region/city • EU/MS/border area* Border region/city/area* *e.g., EstLatRus, Euroregion

  10. Methods of study (period 2000-2012) • Analysis of documents • In-depth interviews (EU, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Germany, Poland) • Government and local officials • Experts • NGOs • Content analysis of media for three issues: visas and CBC, energy, neighbours (Russia, Germany, Poland) • Visa and CBC • Energy relations • Relations with neigbours (Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova)

  11. Types of issues for CBC • Impact of EU expansion on CBC • Impact of Schengen expansion on CBC • Importance of EU as an actor (and funding source) for CBC • Difficulties/opportunties posed by multilevel linkages • Goals/obstacles to CBC • Role of national or inter-state political factors in CBC • Impact of CBC on overall EU-Russian relationship CBC= cross-border cooperation

  12. Do governance differences play a role at the cross-border or local level? 1) Problems of recognition and understanding • deficient levels of knowledge and understanding • poor intuitive fit 2) Problems of decision-making • lack of agreed decision-making procedures • different decision-making styles 3) Problems of legitimation • lack of shared legitimizing discourse reinforcing misunderstandings • asymmetry in public presentation and discourse

  13. New governance mechanisms Instrumental conditionality and muted normative conditionality Technicalization and depoliticization Bridging concepts and joint declarations Functional two-level games Multiple bi- and multilateralisms Cross-border and lower level cooperation

  14. Europeanization? Or a hybrid form of governance? Much drawn from EU experience, but adapted to Russian preferences EU adaptiveness (precedent-following + problem-solving approach) Moving forward through ‘fits and starts’ (like European integration itself Minimal normative Europeanization; some procedural and regulatory Europeanization But Brussels not allowed to ‘call the shots’; sovereignty positions maintained

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