Drawing the Short Straw: Disproportional Effects of Russian Sanctions on Central Europe and the Baltic States

Drawing the Short Straw: Disproportional Effects of Russian Sanctions on Central Europe and the Baltic States

In 2014, the agricultural sanctions Russia imposed on the European Union (EU) had a perceivable impact on the EU’s economy. Yet the sanctions arguably had a disproportionate impact, which suggests they were particularly successful in exposing underlying issues within the EU. Specifically, former Soviet bloc countries and southern European countries were far more greatly impacted by the sanctions than the larger western EU member states. This brings to light problems of disproportionate representation of member states within decision-making processes (especially within the Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development), and the fragility of the EU's internal cohesion. By comparing typical decision-making processes of the EU with its responses during times of crisis, it becomes clear that the EU’s decision-making process and its internal cohesion with regard to economic assistance for former Soviet states, are vulnerable to Russia’s actions. The essay will conclude with recommendations on how to improve EU decision-making during times of crisis to counter this vulnerability.
Full text available at: https://doi.org/10.22215/rera.v10i1.261
 

Dufalla, Jacqueline

Canadian Journal of European and Russian Studies; 2016: RERA V10:1 Fall 2016 (backfile abstracts)

2562-8429

10.22215/cjers.v10i1

Centre for European Studies, Carleton University

2016-09-19

info:eu-repo/semantics/article

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Peer-reviewed Article