The EU's Russian Roulette - An Analysis of Discourses of Council Presidencies on EU-Russia Relations

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of changing EU Council Presidencies on the representation of EU-Russia relations. Since the member states of the EU are still largely sovereign, they do not only take part in the CFSP of the EU, but they follow their own national or bilateral approaches to third countries. These approaches to Russia within the EU may differ substantially from each other. Therefore the assumption is justified that there are also differences in the approaches of different Council Presidencies. The main research question thus to be answered is 'What kind of social reality of EU-Russia relations emerges from the articulations of changing EU Council Presidencies?' In order to be able to answer this question, I conduct a discourse analysis based on the works of Laclau & Mouffe (1985) and Thomas Diez (2001). The discourse analysis is applied mainly to speeches and statements of Council Presidencies given at EU-Russia summits or similar events. In particular, this study takes into account all articulations relevant to EU-Russia relations by the German, Portuguese, and Slovenian Presidencies between January 2007 and June 2008. With the help of the main analytical tool of Discursive Nodal Points, the discourses that are hegemonic in the articulations of these three Presidencies are identified. The discourses are in turn subject to the theoretical analysis along the lines of the English School theoretical framework. More precisely, the discourses are assessed along the lines of the three key concepts of the English School: International System, pluralist/solidarist International Society, and World Society. The result at first constitutes an illustration of the high complexity of the social reality of EU-Russia relations. This study shows that each Council Presidency puts an emphasis and priority on different issues, themes, and ideas. Yet, with the help of the three key concepts of the English School, patterns in the articulations of EU-Russia relations could be identified explaining why and how the EU-Russia regional International Society appears at times more pluralist and at times more solidarist. Asiasanat:EU, Russia, EU-Russia relations, Council Presidency, Germany, Portugal, Slovenia, CFSP, Euro-Slavism, English School, discourse analysis, discursive nodal point