EU Policy as a Factor of Political and Economic Risks for the Countries of the Post-Soviet Space and Eurasian Economic Integration

The EU policy in the post-Soviet space enters a new stage of development after the collapse of the USSR and continues to arouse scientific interest due to the evolution of strategic approaches and priorities. European projects, particularly the Association and Partnership Agreements, lead to the development of internal contradictions within the framework of the growing integration in the Eurasian Economic Union and the CIS. This article analyzes the strategic approaches and priorities of the EU in relation to the countries of the post-Soviet space based on the analysis of official documents. The study applies methods of political risk analysis. The obligations of the former USSR states to the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union are compared. The analysis results in the conclusion that the risks associated with the political dialogue with the EU are primarily linked to the fact that reforms provide for autonomous development, while the CIS and EAEU strategy provides for the harmonization of the legislation of the participating countries. It is noted that the EU actively supports the initiative of the Central Asian countries to create a common space in the region. Regarding individual countries of the South Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia), there are obvious signs of political destabilization in connection with projects for the prospect of joining the EU. The risks associated with the EU's attempt to exert political pressure and interfere in the reform process in the CIS and EAEU countries are also noted.