EUREN Discussion

The EU, Russia and Central Asia Workshop hosted by the Austrian EU-Presidency

In 2007, the EU adopted its first Central Asia Strategy, thereby marking the region as a geographic priority of EU foreign policy. A little more than a decade later, the regional and international context of EU policy in Central Asia has changed considerably. The EU and Russia are now locked in a battle over Ukraine and European Security. Meanwhile, China has evolved into a key player and is transforming economic and political relations in Central Asia through its Belt and Road Initiative. In 2017, the Council of the European Union decided to review the EU's policy towards Central Asia and invited the EU High Representative for Central Asia and the European Commission to come forward with proposals for a new Central Asia Strategy, in accordance with the EU Global Strategy, by the end of 2019.

The experts will address following questions:
1. What have been the most important successes and failures of the EU's Central Asia policy since the adoption of the EU Central Asia Strategy in 2007?
2. How have perceptions of the EU and Russia in the Central Asian states developed since the adoption of the EU's Central Asia Strategy in 2007?
3. How has the deterioration of EU-Russian relations impacted on Central Asia since 2014?
4. What is the EU's place in Central Asia's changing international context, particularly with China's growing role in the region?
5. What lessons should the EU draw from its new Central Asia Strategy?