The European Union’s Strategy for Central Asia: Policy Shift from 2007 to 2025
https://doi.org/10.24833/2782-7062-2026-5-2-70-85
Abstract
European Union has developed close ties with countries of Central Asia since 2007, when the first major EU’s strategy for Central Asia was adopted. Throughout these years we saw a visible shift in the relationship between Europe and Central Asian countries, mainly due to geopolitical and regional causes. This article is devoted to the analysis of the changes in EU-Central Asia cooperation strategies of 2007, 2019 and 2023 and the analysis of the joint declaration, published after the first EU-CA meeting in 2025. Authors focus on the main goals and aims of EU in the Central Asia and means to achieve them as stated in aforementioned documents, as well as the evolution of EU-Central Asia relations. Through a comprehensive analysis of official strategy papers, diplomatic engagements and joint declaration the article identifies the main modern goals of EU in the region of Central Asia.
About the Authors
N. D. RuchkinRussian Federation
Nikita D. Ruchkin - Master Student, Graduate School of International Relations, The Institute of Humanities
Saint-Petersburg 195251
A. V. Vovenda
Russian Federation
Aleksei V. Vovenda - Candidate of Political Sciences, Associate Professor, Graduate School of International Relations, The Institute of Humanities
Saint-Petersburg 195251
References
1. Apokins, I. (2015). Reviewing the EU Strategy for Central Asia: Results and Future Prospects. L’Europeen Formation 375. Centre international de formation européenne, pp. 10–17. DOI: 10.3917/eufor.375.0010
2. Roy, O. (2000). The New Central Asia: The Creation of Nations.
3. Smolaga, M. (2019). Multilateral Development Banks as Instruments of EU–Asian Relations. In Power Shifts in East Asia and Their Implications for Asia–Europe Relations, pp. 159–186. DOI: 10.18778/8142-287-1.09
4. Tagliapietra, S. (2024). The European Union’s Global Gateway: Aninstitutional and economic overview. The World Economy, 47, 1326–1335. DOI: 10.1111/twec.13551
5. Mikhaylenko V.I., Sukhrob R. (2019). Na puti k novoy strategii Yevropeyskogo Soyuza dlya Tsentral’noy Azii [Towards a New Strategy of the European Union for Central Asia]. Istoriya i sovremennoye mirovozzreniye, 3, 95–102. (in Russian)
6. Prokhorenko I. (2019). Novaya strategiya Yevropeyskogo Soyuza v Tsentral’noy Azii: vozmozhnosti i predely “myagkoy sily” [The New Strategy of the European Union in Central Asia: Potential and Limits of “Soft Power”]. Analiz i prognoz. Zhurnal IMEMO RAN, 4, 68–80. DOI: 10.20542/afij-2019-4-68-80 (in Russian)
7. Yun S.M., Pakulin V.S. (2025). Programma «Erazmus+» v Tsentral’noy Azii: prioritety, rezul’taty, vliyaniye [The Erasmus+ Program in Central Asia: Priorities, Results, and Impact]. Sovremennaya Evropa, 3 (131), 159–172. DOI: 10.31857/S0201708325030131 (in Russian)
Review
For citations:
Ruchkin N.D., Vovenda A.V. The European Union’s Strategy for Central Asia: Policy Shift from 2007 to 2025. Governance and Politics. 2026;5(2):70-85. https://doi.org/10.24833/2782-7062-2026-5-2-70-85
JATS XML










