Learning from the European Union? Eurasian Regionalism and the "Global Script"

Abstract

Even from the cursory observation, the Eurasian Economic Union appears to be a good example of what is frequently referred to in the comparative regionalism research as diffusion of the EU model – many specific institutional solutions and, more generally, the fundamental agenda and the design of the EAEU are inspired by the EU experience. This article asks two questions: first, how can we explain the diffusion of the EU model in case of Eurasia, and second, which consequences does the diffusion have for the relations between the EAEU and the EU, as well as the EAEU and the Asian integration projects (like the Belt and Road Initiative). Our conclusions are paradoxical: we show that the standard arguments of the diffusion literature show limited empirical validity in the Eurasian case; and that the institutional similarity between the EU and the EAEU makes the interaction of these two organizations more, and not less difficult.