beyondukraine.euandrussiainsearchofanewrelation

88 Beyond Ukraine. EU and Russia in Search of a New Relation
development opportunity. Free from the diverse cumbersome
problems that Russia faced, the country was large and developed
enough to play its own economic and political role. This unique
opportunity was missed.
That is why measures need to be taken in order to strengthen
cooperation between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union.
The interaction between the EU and the Eurasian Economic
Community loses many of its prospects if the political differences
between Russia and the European Union continue to gain
momentum. The project of Eurasian economic integration is often
treated as a “geo-political project of Moscow”. Such an approach
obscures opportunities of economic collaboration with this
emerging regional project for all the actors that could be involved.
Finally, it is necessary to work out a common strategy in
resolving issues in the former Soviet countries in order to maintain
economic ties and stability. Rivalry in the post-Soviet space is
fraught with the risk of incurring expenses in most countries, and
particularly Ukraine. The consistent severance of ties with the
Russian market deprives Ukraine of an important source of
growth. Russia also pays a price, as it is forced to spend resources
to substitute Ukrainian imports. The European Union will
probably have to pay an even greater price to protect Ukraine from
financial and economic collapse. Severing economic ties with
Russia deprives other countries in the post-Soviet space of sources
of growth. Though the Russian economy faces recession, its
market is still an opportunity for the post-Soviet states.
Conclusion
The further deepening of the dividing lines is sure to inflict serious
damage on all interested parties. The European Union, Russia and
post-Soviet states are bound to suffer, as are other regional actors
such as Turkey. Despite increasing political tension, we should
revive the idea of building a Greater Europe.
At the moment the idea of a Greater Europe may seem utopian
for many. However, without values and ideological guidelines,