Commentators rue the “missed opportunity” of 2004 and present the membership perspective as a panacea. Instead, they should be asking what functions and demands the EU approach should fulfil and only then, whether a membership perspective would be suitable
Despite the authoritarian tendencies of the Russian leadership, the protests of the past year have shown that Russian society is interested in greater political participation. It is time to replace Germany's elite-dominated Russia policy with a more balanced approach
The EU needs to develop a more realistic assessment of Russia. The often knee-jerk reactions to political developments in Moscow and oversimplified readings of Russian foreign policy inhibit a more pragmatic European approach to Russia
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