WHY DOESN’T THE MUTUAL EU–RUSSIA INTERDEPENDENCE LEAD TO RELATIONS OF LEGAL RECIPROCITY?
WHY DOESN’T THE MUTUAL EU–RUSSIA INTERDEPENDENCE LEAD TO RELATIONS OF LEGAL RECIPROCITY?

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the question why, despite the mutual interdependence, the EU–Rus¬sia relations remain based on the principle of “barter” exchange. To put it in other words, what are the reasons for the EU–Russia relations to be based on the Russian model of bilateral relations? The asymmetry of EU–Russia relations is being analysed in this article in the light of the internal principles of EU integration. Such an approach is complemen¬tary to the traditional methods of analysis that deal with the EU’s role in international relations. The causal relations between internal processes of EU integration the attempts of the EU to extend its regulatory governance beyond the EU borders have not yet been analyzed exhaustively. Thus, this article raises the question whether deepening the EU inner integration simultaneously increases the chances of external Europeanization, i. e. chances of binding the third countries to the European norms. The general conclusion resulting from this analysis suggests that the EU–Russia relations are heavily affected by the vacuum of the EU internal integration model in the energy sector. Such vacuum impedes the possibilities to apply the principle of legal reciprocity in relation to Russia, rendering the EU incapable of performing the role of a gatekeeper. This allows Russian business to participate in the EU internal market without the corresponding obligations. In other words, the spill-over of European rules into the Russian internal system is being undermined by the fact that the EU–Russia relations have been traditionally developed in sectors where the European model is still absent, i. e. the European integration has not yet been developed or consolidated.

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