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The EU Kaliningrad Policy: Mapping Kaliningrad's Place inside the European Union

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Ochirova, I. (2011). The EU Kaliningrad Policy: Mapping Kaliningrad's Place inside the European Union. Duncker & Humblot. https://doi.org/10.3790/978-3-428-53413-5
Ochirova, Irina. The EU Kaliningrad Policy: Mapping Kaliningrad's Place inside the European Union. Duncker & Humblot, 2011. Book. https://doi.org/10.3790/978-3-428-53413-5
Ochirova, I (2011): The EU Kaliningrad Policy: Mapping Kaliningrad's Place inside the European Union, Duncker & Humblot, [online] https://doi.org/10.3790/978-3-428-53413-5

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The EU Kaliningrad Policy: Mapping Kaliningrad's Place inside the European Union

Ochirova, Irina

Chemnitzer Europastudien, Vol. 12

(2011)

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About The Author

Irina Ochirova hat Anglistische Philologie an der Kalmykischen Staatlichen Universität studiert. Anschließend hat sie ein Masterstudium "Gender Studies" an der Central European University, Budapest abgeschlossen. Schließlich hat sie am Bulgarisch-Rumänischen Interuniversitären Europazentrum in Ruse (Bulgarien) einen Master in European Studies erworben. 2010 hat sie ihre Promotion im Fach Europa-Studien an der Technischen Universität Chemnitz erfolgreich abgeschlossen. Zur Zeit ist sie Lehrbeauftragte an der TU Chemnitz. Ihre Forschungsinteressen schließen die Außenpolitik der EU und Russland, die Beziehungen zwischen der EU und Russland und die Modernisierung Russlands ein.

Abstract

The Kaliningrad Oblast is a subject of the Russian Federation which became an EU's enclave upon its Eastern enlargement of 2004. This inquiry examines the intricate position of the Kaliningrad region inside the European Union from a legal and institutional rather than geopolitical perspective. Challenging conventional notions about inclusion of third units into the EU and attempting to bridge a gap in the academic literature on the EU's policy towards Kaliningrad, the paper tests the hypothesis that the Kaliningrad Oblast is to a certain extent included or integrated into the EU. More particularly, while spelling out and assessing the EU's Kaliningrad policy it seeks to answer the main research question as to whether this policy can be qualified as essentially a policy of inclusion.

The inquiry proceeds from manifold assumptions of the "insides" and "outsides" of the EU, the growing flexibility of models of integration into the Union as well as the notions of the EU's borders including geopolitical, institutional/legal, transactional and cultural borders which consistently become fuzzier. A substantial part of the paper rests on the study of the bilateral political, legal and institutional relationship between the EU and Russia. Furthermore, the paper scrutinizes the oblast's legal capacity in international relations, as well as its status of Special Economic Zone in the framework of Russian federal policy. It eventually traces and systematizes the EU's activities in its eastern enclave. Although the analysis of the policy by the EU directed towards Kaliningrad does not allow calling it a clear policy of inclusion it still dismisses the idea of the EU treating Kaliningrad as a clear outsider.

Table of Contents

Section Title Page Action Price
Acknowledgements 7
Table of Contents 9
Acronyms 12
I. Introduction 15
1. The problématique of the Kaliningrad Oblast 15
2. The objective and relevance of the analysis 19
3. Theoretical and analytical framework 21
a) The concept of “inside” and “outside” the EU in academic discourse 21
b) The Kaliningrad Oblast in the academic discourse on the “inside/outside” dichotomy 24
c) The institutional/legal border of the EU: Forms of integration with the EU 28
d) Kaliningrad’s integration with the EU in academic discourse and a review of literature 41
4. Methodology and analytical approach 49
5. Summary and overview of Chapters 55
II. The legal and political status of the Kaliningrad Oblast 60
1. The Kaliningrad Oblast in the context of EU Eastern enlargement: a historical, geopolitical and economic perspective 60
a) The Kaliningrad Oblast and its historical background 60
b) The Kaliningrad Oblast and its geopolitical significance in the context of the EU enlargement 64
c) The Kaliningrad Oblast and its economy ante and post the EU enlargement 69
d) Summary 78
2. The legal capacity of the Kaliningrad Oblast in international relations 80
a) The Kaliningrad Oblast as a subject of the Russian Federation 80
b) The Kaliningrad Oblast in the system of Russian federalism 84
c) Russian federal legislation on the external legal capacity of the subjects of the Russian Federation 90
d) The external legal capacity of the Kaliningrad Oblast and its international activities 100
e) The political status of the Kaliningrad Oblast in academic and political discourse 105
f) Summary 108
3. The status of the Kaliningrad Oblast in the framework of Russian federal policy 111
a) On the status of the Kaliningrad Oblast 111
b) The Russian federal policy towards the Kaliningrad Oblast 112
c) The status of the Kaliningrad Oblast as a Special Economic Zone 117
d) The Kaliningrad regional strategy 125
e) The status of the Kaliningrad Oblast as a pilot region 128
f) Summary 133
III. Overview of EU-Russia relations and their implications for Kaliningrad 135
1. The dynamics of the development of EU-Russia relations 135
a) The formation of EU-Russia cooperation 135
b) The EU and Russia in the context of the EU Eastern enlargement 141
c) The building of the EU-Russia strategic partnership 151
d) Disparities and controversies between the EU and Russia 155
e) Summary 166
2. The Kaliningrad Oblast in EU-Russia relations 170
a) The outset of the EU-Russia dialogue on Kaliningrad 170
b) The EU-Russia negotiations on Kaliningrad transit in 2002 178
c) The Kaliningrad compromise 182
d) Summary 188
3. The political and legal foundation of EU-Russia relations 190
a) Russia in the system of the EU’s external policies 190
b) The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement: Objectives and an institutional set-up 193
c) The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement: A critical assessment 201
d) The Kaliningrad Oblast in the institutional and legal framework of EU-Russia relations 203
e) The four Common Spaces in the long-term perspective of the EU-Russia strategic partnership 210
f) The place of the Kaliningrad Oblast in the four Common Spaces 215
g) Perspectives on a new bilateral agreement and Kaliningrad’s place in it 223
h) Summary 228
IV. The involvement of the Kaliningrad Oblast in EU policies 231
1. The political position of the EU towards the Kaliningrad Oblast 231
a) The European Parliament 231
aa) General remarks on the European Parliament 231
bb) The European Parliament on the Kaliningrad Oblast 233
cc) Summary 240
b) The Council of the European Union 241
aa) General remarks on the Council of the European Union 241
bb) The Council of the European Union on the Kaliningrad Oblast 243
cc) Summary 250
c) The European Council 252
aa) General remarks on the European Council 252
bb) The European Council on the Kaliningrad Oblast 254
cc) Summary 256
d) The European Commission 256
aa) General remarks on the European Commission 256
bb) The European Commission on the Kaliningrad Oblast 258
cc) Summary 264
e) Other institutions 264
aa) The Economic and Social Committee on the Kaliningrad Oblast 264
bb) The Committee of the Regions on the Kaliningrad Oblast 268
cc) Summary 270
f) Summary 271
2. The EU’s policy towards the Kaliningrad Oblast 274
a) The general framework of the EU’s Kaliningrad policy 274
aa) The European Commission’s country programmes 274
bb) The cross-border cooperation component of the EU’s Kaliningrad policy 279
cc) The Northern Dimension policy 285
dd) Summary 291
b) Policy dimensions 292
aa) The political and human dimension 292
(1) Democracy and human rights 292
(2) Education and training, culture and research 298
(3) Public health and social policy 308
bb) Economic dimension 315
(1) Economy sector 315
(2) Economic infrastructure (transport and energy) 321
(3) The environment 326
cc) The security dimension 330
(1) Justice and home affairs 330
dd) Summary 339
V. Conclusion 343
VI. Bibliography 352
1. Literature 352
2. Primary sources 375
a) Documents 375
b) Statements, press releases and other official sources 389
Index 393