Problems and prospects of EU — Russia dialogue on visa-free travel

This article deals with the issues pertinent to the EU — Russia visa dialogue — one of the major areas of cooperation between the two partners. The article aims to identify the main problems of this dialogue, as well as prospects for the introduction of a visa-free regime between the EU and Russia. The authors provide a historical overview of cooperation in this area and consider problems and prospects of visa liberalization from the economic, legal, and political perspectives. The analysis draws on primary sources such as the EU and Russia’s legislation, EU — Russia agreements on visa facilitation and readmission, visa statistics, expert interviews, as well as analytical reports and research works on the topic. Particular attention is paid to the “Common steps towards visa-free short-term travel of the citizens of the EU and Russia”, which is currently the main document in the visa dialogue. Having assessed the implementation of the provisions contained in the four blocks of the “Common Steps”, the authors draw conclusions about the political nature of major obstacles to a visa-free regime. This article is based on the proceedings of the “Russia and European Union: the dynamics of interrelations” international conference organized by the EU center of the I. Kant Baltic Federal University (the EU4U project)

Oblegchenie svobody peredvizhenija grazhdan mezhdu Rossiej i Evropejskim sojuzom: perspektivy i pravovye problemy [The facilitation of freedom of movement between Russia and the European Union: prospects and legal issues]

This article examines the legal aspects of the prospective visa free regime between Russia and the European Union,as well as the implementation of local border traffic mechanisms

The EU Vs. Russia: Legal Nature and Implementation of the Union’s Restrictive Measures

The author proposes his take on the EU sanctions against Russia. He aims to understand the legal nature of the EU restrictions, the exact procedure of their implementation, revision, and repeal, as well as their judicial review. To this end, he proposes a system of sanction classification, analyses current EU legislation on the imposition and implementation of sanctions, as well as the case law on the sanction policy. The author also examines EU sanctions imposed on other countries and compares them to the Russian ones. He thus comes up with the following classification of sanctions against Russia: individual sanctions, those targeted at Crimea and Sevastopol, and anti-Russian economic sanctions. He concludes that the EU sanctions against Russia are inconsistent with the legal nature of restrictive measures, since they are a punishment rather than a policy tool. The author believes that in the current political conditions it may be difficult for the European Union to reach a unanimous agreement to repeal or prolong the sanctions. This article is inspired by the discussions that took place during the international conference “Russia and the EU: the Question of Trust” held in Luxembourg on November, 28—29 (2014)

Legal aspects of the EU policy on irregular immigration

This article addresses the issues pertaining to the adoption and development of legislation on irregular migration in the context of uncontrolled growth in the number of immigrants from North Africa and the Middle East to the EU. The article attempts at studying the EU legislation on irregular migration, classifying it, and analysing the prospects of EU migration legislation in the light of an increase in irregular immigration into the EU. The author systematises, classifies the current EU legislation on irregular immigration, and analyses the conditions, in which this legislation was developed. Using the legislation analysis method, the author proposes the following system of EU legislation on irregular immigration: rules preventing assistance to irregular immigration, rules preventing employment of irregular immigrants, rules on the return of irregular migrants and readmission, rules on border control, and rules on collaboration with third countries. The author pays special attention to analysing the current state of irregular immigration to the EU, which was dubbed the ‘greatest migration crisis in Europe’. The conclusion is that the European Union succeeded in the development of pioneering legislation on irregular immigration, which can serve as the basis for reception by other states. However, changes in the political and economic situation in the EU’s southern borderlands made the current legal mechanisms incapable of withstanding new threats. It necessitates a radical reform of the legislation on irregular immigration

Readmissiya, vozvrashchenie i reintegratsiya : zakonodatel'naya osnova v Rossiyskoy federatsii

Consortium for Applied Research on International Migration (CARIM-East) is co-financed by the European University Institute and the European UnionRussian version of CARIM-East 2013/7

Dostup bezhentsev i vynuzhdennykh pereselentsev k sotsial'no-ekonomicheskim pravam v Rossiyskoy federatsii

На основе анализа действующего Российского законодательства, регулирующего статус беженцев и вынужденных переселенцев можно сделать вывод о том, что гарантии их социально-экономического статуса соответствуют общепризнанным нормам международного права и, в частности, Конвенции о статусе беженцев, 1951 года. Российское законодательство исходит из того, что доступ к социально-экономическим правам беженца определяется его статусом иностранного гражданина или лица без гражданства. Соответственно, в большинстве случаев доступ к указанным правам осуществляется согласно режиму, установленному для иностранных граждан. Однако в некоторых случаях (право на пенсию, право на социальное обеспечение, право на медицинское обслуживание) беженцу предоставляются дополнительные права, аналогичные правам граждан России. Такой режим определения социально-экономического статуса беженцев соответствует требованиям Конвенции о статусе беженцев, 1951 года.Consortium for Applied Research on International Migration (CARIM-East) is co-financed by the European University Institute and the European UnionRussian version of CARIM-East 2013/10

Emigratsiya i diaspora Respubliki Armeniya

В качестве приоритетного направления в «Концепции политики государственного регулирования миграции в Республике Армения» (2010 г.) рассматриваются такие области эмиграции, как трудовая эмиграция, нелегальная эмиграция из Армении и др. Эмиграционные потоки из Армении преимущественно состоят из трудовых эмигрантов, поэтому в данной работе мы проанализировали политику государства в отношении трудовой эмиграции. Иммиграция не выделяется в Концепции в качестве отдельного вопроса, что, вероятно, обусловлено низким уровнем иммиграции в Армению. В настоящее время Правительство Армении предпринимает меры по поддержанию связей с диаспорой. Конституционные поправки, одобренные на референдуме в 2005 году, отменили норму, запрещавшую двойное гражданство. В 2008 году было создано министерство диаспоры. В 2009 году правительство Армении приняло «Концепцию развития партнерства Армения-диаспора». Был разработан проект «Концепции организации процесса репатриации».Consortium for Applied Research on International Migration (CARIM-East) is co-financed by the European University Institute and the European UnionRussian version of CARIM-East 2012/3

Pravovoe regulirovanie protivodeystviya torgovle lyud'mi v Rossiyskoy federatsii

Торговля людьми представляет собой социальное явление, отличающееся повышенной общественной опасностью. С целью борьбы с указанным явлением отдельные государства и международное сообщество разрабатывает комплекс правовых и организационных мер. В частности, в соответствии с протоколом ООН о предупреждении и пресечении торговли людьми меры, направленные на борьбу с торговлей людьми, включают в себя: криминализацию данного деяния; защиту жертв преступлений; оказание содействия в их репатриации, поощрение международного сотрудничества и т.д. Система правового регулирования борьбы с торговлей людьми в Российской Федерации включает в себя различные правовые средства, однако большинство из них носят общий характер, т.е. направлены не только на предотвращение торговли людьми, но и на борьбу с иными противоправными явлениями. Единственной специальной мерой можно назвать криминализацию деяний, связанных с торговлей людьми и использованием рабского труда. Таким образом, анализ Российского национального законодательства свидетельствует о том, что основной упор в борьбе с торговлей людьми делается на использование уголовно-правовых механизмов.Consortium for Applied Research on International Migration (CARIM-East) is co-financed by the European University Institute and the European UnionRussian version of CARIM-East 2013/3

Problemy i perspektivy bezvizovogo dialoga Rossii i ES [Problems and prospects of EU — Russia dialogue on visa-free travel]

This article deals with the issues pertinent to the EU-Russia visa dialogue — one of the major areas of cooperation between the two partners. The article aims to identify the main problems of this dialogue, as well as prospects for the introduction of a visa-free regime between the EU and Russia. The authors provide a historical overview of cooperation in this area and consider problems and prospects of visa liberalization from the economic, legal, and political perspectives. The analysis draws on primary sources such as the EU and Russia’s legislation, EU-Russia agreements on visa facilitation and readmission, visa statistics, expert interviews, as well as analytical reports and research works on the topic. Particular attention is paid to the “Common steps towards visa-free short-term travel of the citizens of the EU and Russia”, which is currently the main document in the visa dialogue. Having assessed the implementation of the provisions contained in the four blocks of the “Common Steps”, the authors draw conclusions about the political nature of major obstacles to a visa-free regime. This article is based on the proceedings of the “Russia and European Union: the dynamics of interrelations” international conference organized by the EU center of the I. Kant Baltic Federal University (the EU4U project)