The main aim of the thesis is to evaluate the economic relationship between the EU and RF in the last ten years. Russia is a large and diverse country with the huge differences in the level of economy of their regions and society as a whole, that's why political, economic and social systems of Russia are complex and difficult. A considerable part of the thesis is devoted to analysis of the economic development of Russia in the first decade of the 21st century. Thesis is also analyzing trade and investment between Russia and the EU, by volume and type of commercial transactions, and by the volume and type of investment among states. The first part of the thesis is devoted to the main documents, which are the bases of any ongoing business relationship and cooperation between the European Union and Russia. The second part of the thesis is devoted to the economic characteristics of the Russian Federation and its position in the global economy over the last decade. First chapter discusses the changes in Russian foreign policy towards EU and economic development of Russia under Vladimir Putin. The next chapter deals with the impact of global financial crisis on the Russian economy, and describes the economic situation and contemporary problems of Russia. The third part of the thesis is devoted to the current forms of trade and economic relations between the EU and RF. The first chapter deals with the very nature and structure of mutual trade of goods and services and the further chapter analyzes the development of investments between the two countries. The third chapter is dedicated to the theme of energy, which is the core of Russia - EU trade. The following chapter is devoted to the common spaces and the last chapter of this thesis analyzes the current situation and existing problems between the EU and Russia.

The promising agenda of the EU-Russia strategic partnership has resulted in mutual frustration manifested in continuous crises between the partners. This study explores possibilities for political transformation in the EU-Russia relationship. In search of the key to understanding this complex relationship, I develop a three-fold argument. First, an ongoing crisis in EU-Russia cooperation cannot be understood without revealing the underlying problem of tension between the subjects’ autonomy and their ability to cooperate. Second, this problem produces a paradoxical form of “autonomous cooperation,” imposing limits on the prospects for political transformation in the EU-Russia relationship. Third, Bakhtin’s dialogism holds a significant potential to re-imagine the contradictions of autonomous cooperation in an alternative relational way. Despite the existence of a considerable body of literature on EU-Russia cooperation, little work has been done to investigate the connection between the intricacies of political discourse and problems in EU-Russia cooperation. By drawing on Bakhtin’s account of a “dialogic imagination,” I develop a model, which exposes the processes of mutual constitution of the Self and the Other. This dialogic model reveals that in their political statements, both the EU and Russia privilege the pattern of autonomy or cooperation. The partners produce prevalent discursive practices that reinforce these contradictory patterns of autonomy and cooperation, systematically inflicting crises in the EU-Russia relationship. By establishing dialogic connections between the chosen political statements, the model demonstrates that Russia and the EU co-create perceived differences between each other, isolate each other or try to form an autonomous, self-sufficient Self through imposition, self-exclusion, resistance or dominance. This model, I argue, permits an alternative vision of contemporary trends and possible futures for the EU-Russia relationship as an exemplar of an international relationship viewed through a dialogic lens. My study is also relevant under the conditions of ongoing conflicts in EU-Russia cooperation, which expose the inability of the partners to cooperate effectively. I conclude with practical implications for the partners to overcome the current stalemate. In Bakhtin’s words: “When dialogue ends, everything ends. Thus dialogue, by its very essence, cannot and must not come to an end.” / Graduate

This thesis is focused on EU-Russia relations, the import of fossil fuels, especially oil and natural gas, which form the main items of trade between the EU and Russia. The work is divided into three chapters devoted to the energy deficit in the EU, the analysis of Russian gas and oil sector. The last chapter focuses on the analysis of the linkages and cooperation in the energy field. The aim is to determine the interdependence of the two units, the main differences and similarities that define the direction of cooperation and draw a trend and direction of EU-Russia relations in the energy sector to the future.

This thesis is a comprehensive interpretation of European political history in the periodization from 2008 to 2016. The history begins with an exploration of the intellectual and political origins of the post-World War II project of European integration and the development of, and opposition to, the early institutions that eventually formed the contemporary assemblage of the European Union. Following a traditionally structured history, this work is styled as a ‘history of the present’ that specifies the role of the European Union in precipitating and attempting to overcome the financial and monetary crises, foreign policy quandaries on its Eastern periphery, an unmanageable escalation in migration rates, and the materialization of Eurosceptic, populist, and anti-establishment political actors at European and national levels. The specific arrangement of this thesis intends to fulfill its ultimate purpose of identifying the dynamic circumstances that aided the outcome of the United Kingdom referendum to leave the European Union.

The history between the European Union and Russia has been one of interest for the entire world. With the growth in the relationship after the Cold War, it has become one exhaustive field of research and existing literature. Especially characteristic is the field which focuses on energy security and energy dependency and how these constitute the foundations of the relationship. Thus, this thesis follows how the economic relationship between the EU and Russia came to be developed from the dissolution of Soviet in 1922 up until today through a qualitative case study. This was done by starting the analysis with a portrayal of these thirty years and identifying which thematic components of the relationship that could be discerned as dominant and the causations of those. This was done especially in relation to energy as the relationship is largely characterized by energy interdependency. In relation to the components, issues as the challenges within the relationship, and how the actions performed by the EU was aligned with their own goals were discussed. The theoretical framework served as a fundamental part of the thesis, where a “taxonomy of power” was used to identify power structures which served as an explanation of understanding this historical relationship through economic means. Within the analysis it was then used further to find alignments to the traditional IR theories realism and liberalism. This combination of a taxonomy and theory gave opportunity to realize that theory at times certainly is limited and therefore contributed with a critical discussion too. The analysis showed that the relationship can be understood through three phases. The first shows alignment with the liberalist ideas as it focuses on institutional power, agreements, and interdependency right after the dissolution of the Soviet. The two latter, with the start from the Russian annexation of Crimea up until their invasion of Ukraine in February, alignment with realism as these focused on explicit forms of compulsory power as restrictive measures, productive power in using discourses, disinformation, and fears. Through these divisions the critical discussion of EU’s actions towards Russia questioned where the line should be drawn for continuing to rely on liberal values, cooperation and buying natural gas, despite it funding the Kremlins’ treasury.

The absence of a relevant legal basis between huge commercial partners such as the EU as a single entity and the Russian Federation promoted the emergence of a legal vacuum. The long term cooperation between Russia and the EU has only one bilateral agreement - the Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation signed in 1994, which is however obsolete, and does not meet the contemporary needs. The adequate legal basis for Russia-EU cooperation in the gas sector is still missing. The protection of investments in the gas sector is being realized by bilateral agreements between Russia and EU member states, soft law and general international agreements, without any specifications for those two partners. The only international instrument covering the energy relations of these two partners - Energy Charter Treaty cannot be considered as a reliable mechanism, as Russia withdrew from it more than 8 years ago. The reasons of the withdrawal and the Yukos case as an illustrative example are discussed in this paper. In order to avoid uncertainty in such strategic area as gas investment relations and unpredictable decisions between the states represented by the commercial entities, there is a need to design a substantive legal basis, and a need to consider on the adequate dispute resolution body. In this thesis, key...