The EU’s Central Asian Strategy in a Globalizing World

Abstract

The European Union (EU) model for interaction with Central Asia is characterized by a constant stream of contact, notable donations of aid and economic development assistance. Central to this relationship is the persistence of the EU in the face of strong competition from Russia, the United States and China. To date, the EU constitutes the major donor nation for the five Central Asian republics and is a major trade partner in the region. EU aid involves a significant number of different programs and areas including investment, export assistance, education, environment, border management, transport, drug trafficking and crime. While the Central Asian nations welcome donated aid, they are quite reluctant in the areas of human rights and democratization implementation and cooperation, which are very important to the EU. The EU faces significant handicaps in its Central Asia policy—ranging i.a. from the small size of its programs to Turkey’s EU candidacy (Turkey serves somewhat of a model for the Central Asian nations, and its continuing difficulties with the EU accession process raises a red flag for Central Asia). Despite these difficulties, the prospect of energy resources, new markets, and the resolution of problems with neighbors fuels the EU’s persistence, and could lead to positive results in the future.