European Union Governance in Central Asia

The edited volume attempts to critically approach EU-Central Asian relations, asking whether - when adopting a more sectoral governance approach - the EU's transformative power vis-à-vis the region is greater than initially argued and if so, under what conditions it flourishes most. It assesses whether, through adopting a sectoral approach to the area of, development, infrastructure, water management, security, climate change, energy, trade, health, education, or any other element defining EU-Central Asian relations, the European Union is able to (co-)shape this geopolitically strategic region. If so, what drives the EU's ability to do so; if not, what mitigates its (potential) influence? This book contributes to the scholarship on the EU's external governance both empirically and theoretically.

Marek Neuman is Assistant Professor in EU Foreign Policy and Jean Monnet Chair of European Policy and Governance at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. His research interests are the EU's foreign policy vis-à-vis Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and the role Central and Eastern European countries play in shaping this. Agha Bayramov is Assistant Professor at the Department of International Relations and International Organization of the University of Groningen. His research interests are energy security, the Caspian Sea region, Karabakh, Eurasia, infrastructure, and climate change. He is a co-founder of The Hague Research Institute for Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

Introduction: The European Union's Governance in Central Asia - A Sectoral Approach JULIA K. MEYER, MAREK NEUMAN AND AGHA BAYRAMOV PART I European Union Governance in Central Asia: A Conceptual Account 1 EU Foreign Policy and How Contested Spaces Become Regions SENKA NEUMAN STANIVUKOVIC AND MAREK NEUMAN 2 Designing, Mapping, and Reshaping Borders: European Neighbourhood Policy and Central Asia MUSTAFA ALI SEZAL 3 The EU's Role as a Partner in Region-Building in Central Asia IKBOLJON QORABOYEV PART II European Union Governance in Central Asia: An Empirical Account of Energy and Security Politics 4 Geopolitical Constraints in the EU's Revised Strategy towards Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan AGHA BAYRAMOV AND FABIO INDEO 5 The EU's Green Normative Power in Central Asia: The Case of the Aral Sea and Water Management Policies in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan ANA-MARIA ANGHELESCU AND IOAN-DAVID ONEL 6 The European Union's Role in Addressing Environmental Disputes in Central Asia: Evaluating the Effectiveness of a "Reluctant 3rd Party" ALEXANDRU BALAS 7 Turning Bridges into Walls: The EU and Border Management in Central Asia VIKTORIA AKCHURINA AND VINCENT DELLA SALA PART III European Union Governance in Central Asia: An Empirical Account of Sectoral Politics 8 The Promotion of EU Principles and Values through Facebook Diplomacy in the Countries of Central Asia BORNA ZGURIC , ÐANA LUsA AND LIDIJA KOS-STANIsIC 9 EU Aid and Good Governance in Central Asia TAALAIGUL USONOVA AND AILUNA SHAMURZAEVA 10 The European Union as a Rule of Law Promoter in Central Asia: Some Lessons Learned from e-Justice Implementation in Kyrgyzstan ALIIA MARALBAEVA 11 Various Understandings of Rule of Law: Conceptualization of an Actor-Centric Perspective NARGIZA KILICHOVA 12 The Role of Foreign Actors in the Modernization of Higher Education in Uzbekistan ALEX KROUGLOV Conclusion: EU-Central Asia Relations - Adapting to New Realities on the Ground AGHA BAYRAMOV AND MAREK NEUMAN