EU-Russia interaction: dense but tense

This Alert assesses the current state of EU-Russia relations. What attempts have been made by the Union to balance confrontation with engagement? Can the newly adopted process of ‘selective engagement’ yield results?

The EU debate on the renewal of sanctions against Russia is framed by a wider set of considerations about how to move forward with bilateral relations. A key concept in these discussions is ‘selective engagement’, which is one of the five principles for a new approach to Russia that was adopted by the EU in March 2016.

Such engagement is already a tangible reality mainly for non-political issues, but the prospect of a spill-over effect into the (geo)political realm appears rather slim for the time being.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Russia: EU prolongs economic sanctions by six months http://www.europeansources.info/record/russia-eu-prolongs-economic-sanctions-by-six-months/

ESO: Background information: Russia’s ‘temptation of Europe’ http://www.europeansources.info/record/russias-temptation-of-europe/

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