Vztahy Evropské unie a Ruska

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is not only to characterize the current position of Russia in the world economy and international political relations, but also to evaluate the level and form of mutual relations between Russia and the European Union. Russia has undergone through many changes since the time, when the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics collapsed. The beginning of the nineteen nineties is connected with the deepening economic crisis, which caused a total uncompetitiveness of the Russian economy. However, with the election of Vladimir Putin as the president in 2000, Russia began to change and the economy started to grow. Essential problem of the Russian economy for the future is its excessive focus on the export of raw materials. Revenues from their export are the core income to the Russian economy with the substantial amount of those coming from the European Union, which is the largest trading partner of Russia. Therefore the European Union and Russia strive towards mutual collaboration in the areas of commerce and energy. They both know that the level of mutual interdependence in these areas is already too high to adopt a different stance. Mutual relations are based on the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement from 1997 and a new agreement is negotiated for several years. Currently, the most discussed issue is the construction of the new gas pipelines (Nord Stream, South Stream, Nabucco). The reason is that the energy cooperation is a key feature of the EU-Russia relationship. The European Union and Russia are linked to such a great extent, which would render any future competition between them truly adverse and unprofitable. They simply need each other and cooperation should be supported on bilateral basis.