Integration Of The Greater European Spaces

This volume contains the proceedings (in English and French) of the International seminar "Integration of the greater European spaces" about the sustainable spatial organisation of the Greater European area. Topics range from geopolitical considerations to territorial impact assessment of concrete projects, and comprehensive reports on the activities undertaken under various European initiatives and programmes of cross-border, transnational and inter-regional co-operation. Particular attention was paid to the presentation of successful regional and local spatial development projects.

This volume addresses developments in European space policy and its significance for European integration, using discourse theory as a framework. It seeks to address the developments in European space policy by examining several sensitive security questions linked in general with space activities, on the one hand, and the interplay between space policy and security policy in the European Union (EU) on the other. The book argues that defence and security matters should be studied for a better understanding of space projects in their historical, political, economic, legal and social context. The volume seeks to answer the following key questions: • What can space policy contribute to European identity formation and the integration process? • What are the interests of member states/EU institutions in space? • How is space policy perceived by European institutions, and how have they been engaged in the policy process to promote activity in space? • In which ways is the EU engaged in space, in terms of policy areas, e.g. foreign policy, industrial policy, security and defence policies? • What is the impact of institutions on the policy-making process in European space policy? This book will be of interest to students of EU policy, space policy, discourse studies and International Relations in general.

This volume examines Russian discourses of regionalism as a source of identity construction practices for the country's political and intellectual establishment. The overall purpose of the monograph is to demonstrate that, contrary to some assumptions, the transition trajectory of post-Soviet Russia has not been towards a liberal democratic nation state that is set to emulate Western political and normative standards. Instead, its foreign policy discourses have been constructing Russia as a supranational community which transcends Russia's current legally established borders. The study undertakes a systematic and comprehensive survey of Russian official (authorities) and semi-official (establishment affiliated think tanks) discourse for a period of seven years between 2007 and 2013. This exercise demonstrates how Russia is being constructed as a supranational entity through its discourses of cultural and economic regionalism. These discourses associate closely with the political project of Eurasian economic integration and the "Russian world" and "Russian civilization" doctrines. Both ideologies, the geoeconomic and culturalist, have gained prominence in the post-Crimean environment. The analysis tracks down how these identitary concepts crystallized in Russia's foreign policies discourses beginning from Vladimir Putin's second term in power.

Will the increased economic connectivity across the Eurasian supercontinent transform Europe into the western peninsula of Greater Eurasia? The unipolar era entailed the US organising the two other major economic regions of the world, Europe and Asia, under US leadership. The rise of “the rest”, primarily Asia with China at the centre, has ended the unipolar era and even 500-years of Western dominance. China and Russia are leading efforts to integrate Europe and Asia into one large region. The Greater Eurasian region is constructed with three categories of economic connectivity – strategic industries built on new and disruptive technologies; physical connectivity with bimodal transportation corridors; and financial connectivity with new development banks, trading currencies and payments systems. China strives for geoeconomic leadership by replacing the US leadership position, while Russia endeavours to reposition itself from the dual periphery of Europe and Asia to the centre of a grand Eurasian geoeconomic constellation. Europe, positioned between the trans-Atlantic region and Greater Eurasia, has to adapt to the new international distribution of power to preserve its strategic autonomy.

The aim of the conference was to review the measures taken to implement the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent and to promote trans-national and inter-regional co-operation through development projects.

During 2001 the Council of Europe continued to consolidate democratic change and to assist the applicant countries in facilitation of their accession. Indeed, Armenia and Azerbaijan joined the Council on 25 January bringing the total member states to 43. At the same time it remained true to its original aim of achieving greater unity through cooperation. Areas discussed include: political affairs;strategic planning; legal affairs and local democracy; human rights; social cohesion; education, culture, youth, sport. Appendices include the texts adopted by the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly, and the judgements delivered by the European Court of Human Rights.