Increasing the Effectiveness of EU Education Assistance in Uzbekistan. Revising the EU Strategy in Light of the New Regime

The European Union has identified education in Central Asia as a key area of cooperation. However, the EU’s engagement in this area, which has faced considerable difficulties since the fall of the Soviet Union, has so far not had the desired impact. Based on a case study of Uzbekistan, I argue in this article that the EU should revise its strategy by adopting a more targeted approach, consistent with the longer-term funding it is able to commit to Central Asia and better tailored to the local social context through strong engagement with local stakeholders. Instead of imposing broad concepts designed in Brussels – which have generally not been fully accepted or implemented by local political authorities – this new approach would involve setting up specific projects with local input, such as the opening of campuses of European universities, providing financial and logistical support for school infrastructure, and increasing the involvement of potential employers. With local ownership, EU education assistance will allow a new generation in Uzbekistan to breathe life into long-term reforms by drawing on the European concepts of their instruction, rather than viewing them as imposed from outside

Central Asia's growing partnership with China. EUCAM Working Paper No. 4, 09 October 2009.

Since the start of the 2000s, the China has become an increasingly important player on the Central Asian scene, which until then had been essentially divided between Russia and the US. Beijing has managed to make a massive and multiform entry onto the Central Asian geo-political landscape: it has proven itself a loyal partner on the level of bilateral diplomacy and has succeeded in turning the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) into a regional structure appreciated by its members. China has also become a leading actor in trade as well as in the hydrocarbon sector and infrastructure. This paper focuses on the political and geopolitical impact of Beijing's growing influence, along with the economic implications of the Chinese presence in Central Asia. Moreover, the paper assesses the extent to which this will affect the objectives of the European Union in the region. A final key question debated here is an assessment of possible joint interests of China and the EU in Central Asia

The multiple paradoxes of the agriculture issue in Central Asia. EUCAM Working Paper No. 6, 27 November 2009

Although Central Asia is a modest partner in terms of agricultural trade and relatively few European companies are based in the sector, the agrarian issue is of importance for the EU. In the face of massive corruption, what cooperative development should be proposed in agriculture? When it is harvested under unacceptable conditions, what position should be taken towards cotton production? Should there be no collaboration over agriculture, while this sector is essential for the survival of many of these republics? How should land reform be supported such that the rural population receives the benefits? After a brief assessment on the current agrarian situation and the land reforms that have taken place in the 1990-2000 period, this paper will consider the cotton versus food security issue, and then the political and economic issues the Central Asian land sector has to face, in order to propose recommendations to the EU

Die Mitgliedschaft Kirgistans in der Eurasischen Wirtschaftsunion: Eine Vernunftehe?

Die Mitgliedschaft Kirgistans in der Eurasischen Wirtschaftsunion (EEU) wird als wichtiger Schritt auf dem Weg zur Entwicklung des Landes präsentiert, da die Regierung derzeit nicht in der Lage ist, es wirtschaftlich und sozial wieder auf Kurs zu bringen. Allerdings vereint das Thema auch Experten und Teile der Bevölkerung, die den damit verbundenen ökonomischen und politischen Risiken kritisch gegenüberstehen: Sie befürchten Preissteigerungen bei Grundnahrungsmitteln und anderen Gütern des täglichen Bedarfs, den möglichen Verlust von Kirgistans Status als einer der wichtigsten Re-Exporteure von chinesischen Produkten und einen größeren Einfluss Russlands auf die inneren Angelegenheiten des Landes

Into EurAsia – Monitoring the EU’s Central Asia Strategy. Report of the EUCAM Project. CEPS Paperbacks. February 2010

This new CEPS-FRIDE paperback offers the first assessment of the ambitious strategy to upgrade the EU’s cooperation with the five states of the Central Asia region: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Undertaken by independent analysts from the EU and Central Asia within the context of the EUCAM project, the book looks at the role of Russia, China, the US and others in Central Asia, as well the current state of politics and economics in the region. Coinciding as it does with the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, Into EurAsia presents a test case of how the EU may shape up to meet its newly enhanced foreign policy responsibilities

Russia, Central Asia and the Eurasian Economic Union

ISSN:1863-042