The Official Development Assistance Policy of the European Union in the Post-Soviet Space: Geopolitical Factors

The structure, priorities, conceptual framework, methods, and resources of EU policies in the Official Development Assistance (ODA) program are considered. Research shows that the EU funding of ODA programs for the post-Soviet space hiked fourfold between 2010 and 2020. The share of funding for Cent...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Herald of the Russian Academy of Sciences 2022-09, Vol.92 (Suppl 6), p.S543-S550
Main Author: Sutyrin, V. V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chemistry/Food Science
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Elections
Engineering
Environment
Foreign policy
Funding
Geopolitics
International relations
Leadership
Life Sciences
Presidential elections
Social Sciences
Strengthening
Transregional Processes
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Summary:The structure, priorities, conceptual framework, methods, and resources of EU policies in the Official Development Assistance (ODA) program are considered. Research shows that the EU funding of ODA programs for the post-Soviet space hiked fourfold between 2010 and 2020. The share of funding for Central Asian states decreased substantially compared to the Western part of the post-Soviet space against the background of confrontation with Russia, as well as due to presidential elections in Belarus. This paper argues that this redistribution is caused by geopolitical factors of EU policy. A conclusion is drawn that the recent declarations by the EU leadership about strengthening the “hard” power and the “geopolitical” agenda are not new and reflect long-term trends in EU foreign policy. Thus, a significant share of ODA funds is traditionally allocated to “social infrastructure,” strengthening Brussels’ control over the sociopolitical sphere in target countries of the periphery, aiming to bring them under EU influence in the economy, governance, goal setting, and ideology. This policy serves the interests of the EU, entrenching asymmetrical “metropole–periphery” relations between the EU and target counties.
ISSN:1019-3316
1555-6492
DOI:10.1134/S1019331622120097