New online publication series: “IEP Policy Papers on Eastern Europe and Central Asia”
IEP Policy Papers on Eastern Europe and Central Asia are published in the framework of the research project: “The EU’s policy towards Eastern Europe and Central Asia – A key role for Germany.” This project, which aims at analysing the EU’s relations with its East European and Central Asian partners and the role of Germany therein, is lead by the deputy director of the IEP, Dr. Katrin Böttger, and is financially supported by the Otto Wolff-Foundation.
The first issue of the series is titled “Bystander in its neighbourhood? The European Union’s involvement in protracted conflicts in the post-Soviet space.” The two authors, Marco Siddi and Barbara Gaweda, examine four protracted conflicts in post-Soviet countries. They start with an analysis of the historical, political and economic conditions of the conflicts, thereby emphasising the individual character of each of the conflicts. After that, Siddi and Gaweda critically examine the involvement of the EU in settling the conflicts so far. They state that the EU has only played a marginal role and that its engagement turned out to be mostly ineffective. As a possible solution for the future, Siddi and Gaweda develop the idea of an “Eastern Neighbourhood Conflict Prevention and Resolution Strategy,” a coherent strategy for the EU taking into account the distinct features of the different conflicts.