Soft or hard borders? Managing the divide in an enlarged Europe

Abstract:

The expansion of the European Union to embrace eight former communist countries has created a new geopolitical reality and a wholly different set of border relations with its new neighbours. Is it possible that those new borders will merely represent a relocation of the old Iron Curtain? This possibility and others are examined in this work.

The book is organised in three parts. Part one considers the evolving nature of EU borders in particular parts of the new neighbourhood area. Chapter two considers the implications of the collapse of the Soviet Union and explores in some detail the relationship between the EU and Ukraine. The relationship between Russia and the EU is the focus of chapter three, which highlights the differing status of the two players - Russia is rebuilding a new nation state whilst the EU is engaged in developing a supra-national entity. Chapter four examines the Romanian situation and the influence of the EU’s policies of conditionality in the motivation of political and economic reform as Romania prepares for EU membership.

Part two addresses the workings of border management, namely the regulation of migration and the movement of goods between countries. Chapter five examines the opportunities and threats posed by the coexistence of economic and security concerns in border management, with particular emphasis on migration. The challenges posed by the EU’s definition of new external boundaries are explored in chapter six. The following chapter progresses that discussion to an exploration of the prospects for a unified border guard for Europe, and the critical role of trust and solidarity in developing such a border force in the context of an expanding EU.

Part three concentrates upon the issues arising from border management in the Russian perimeter. Chapter eight offers a Russian perspective, considering the difficulties presented by the wider Russian borders with areas having a history of illegal migration and illegal transit of goods, particularly drugs. An alternative perspective is offered in the final chapter which looks at the border issues from a Latvian viewpoint, neighbouring as it does two EU nations and two non-member countries, and a continuing problem of border agreement with Russia.

The work will interest scholars, students, policy makers and researchers engaged in European Union studies and European integration.