The expansion of the EEU could spell trouble for the democratization of Eurasia. This conclusion was drawn by the expert of Foreign Policy Research Institute Simon Hoellerbauer.
Despite the attempts by the EU to allure post-Soviet countries in Eastern Europe and Eurasia, support for European institutions is especially down in several key target states. For instance, in Moldova - one of the most successful countries of the Eastern Partnership in terms of reforms - support for the European Union remains 40 percent in contrast to 40% in 2007.
According to him, the recent protests have also called into question Moldova’s chances for a successful integration with Europe. Although the protestors are not openly pro-Russia two forces leading the protest support the Eurasian Union.
At the same time, the author writes, support for Eurasian Economic Union is growing even in such countries as Moldova and Georgia (by 16% more than during last year).
“That support for the EEU is rising even in countries with relatively competitive democratic institutions is deeply troubling,” the author writes in the article published on eurasiareview.com.
The lack of conviction of the EU initiatives and the reluctance of EU politicians to make any promises about the chances for Eurasian countries to join the EU makes these trends in even more troubling.
“The difficulty of joining the European Union potentially makes the EEU a more satisfying prospect for populist politicians looking for successes to sell to their constituents,” Hoellerbauer writes.
According to him, the accession of Armenia and Kyrgyzstan to the EEU and its growing support in Georgia and Moldova shows that other countries in the region are being convinced by Russian rhetoric. “The greatest danger if these countries fall under greater Russian influence is not only that they will move further away from Europe, but also that Putin will be able to influence their politics more directly and so any democratic gains they have made in the past few decades will be lost for good,”
the author concludes.
