The Political Economics of Secession :
  - Barcelona Report
Eurasia Stability :
Eurasian Economic Integration
Small and Medium Enterprises in Georgia
Eurasia Leadership Roundtable Series

EURASIAN ECONOMIC INTERGRATION

Rationale
The project will study existing and potential supranational economic relationships in Eurasia in order to assess their effectiveness in terms of providing economic benefits for member states through monetary, fiscal or trade policy. Its case studies will be used as data for a white paper on successful methods of Eurasian economic cooperation. Papers will include regional examples as well as the potential for economic cooperation among the Newly Independent States. The project will document and disseminate the case studies and the outcomes of the workshop to inform policy-makers and other relevant economic actors on the progress towards building market economies and fostering economic integration in Eurasia.

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Problem Analysis
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Newly Independent States have suffered from the economic and political instability of independence. Attempts to recover some economic stability and plan for growth have included economic partnerships intended to bolster participation in the world economy. To this end, Eurasian states are also increasingly establishing relationships with regional neighbors outside the former Soviet Union. Unfortunately, the recent economic crisis in Russia has threatened the stability of the entire region at a time when broader cooperation through the Commonwealth of Independent States is under consideration.

The Newly Independent States' first decade has been marked by cycles of some economic progress and subsequent crises. Responses to stabilize the economies of the region have included various attempts to reconstitute some of the economic integration of the Soviet Union along market rules. Some of the problems faced by such efforts include both political and economic obstacles.

Strategic challenges include creating relationships that make economic sense beyond the political.

Practical challenges include inconsistent monetary policies, unstable financial markets and suspect business environments.

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Procedures
A team of researchers will develop a case study on each major economic association and will prepare the final white paper.

Project staff will document and disseminate the case studies, as a learning tool and an example of international economic cooperation in Eurasia, as well as the outcomes and results of the workshops.

The Project and the Eurasia Foundation will co-host a public announcement of the completion of the project and the dissemination of the documentation.

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Products
Case studies of formal multilateral economic relationships-
Central Europe Initiative (CEI 1989)
Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine

Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO 1985)
Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS 1992)
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS 1992)
Denmark, Estonia, European Commission, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden

Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC 1992)
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine

The Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC 1993)
Denmark, European Commission, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden

Central Asian Economic Community (CAEC 1994)
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan

Union of Belarus and Russia (UBR 1997)
Belarus, Russia

Case studies of informal multilateral economic relationships-
Aral Sea Agreement of 1994
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Caspian oil rights negotiations
Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan.

White Paper on Eurasian Economic Integration

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The Political Economics of Secession :
  - Barcelona Report
Eurasia Stability :
Eurasian Economic Integration
Small and Medium Enterprises in Georgia
Eurasia Leadership Roundtable Series