The Partnership for Modernisation Through the Three Level-of-Analysis Perspectives

Abstract

This contribution suggests analysing European Union (EU)–Russian relations from three level-of-analysis perspectives. The structural one describes interrelations between the EU and its member states. The institutional perspective concentrates on the interplay of intergovernmental, transgovernmental, and transnational levels. The thematic perspective differentiates between values and concepts, policy-specific goals and implementation instruments. Together the three perspectives create a new methodological approach for the study of EU–Russian relations. The analysis of the EU–Russian Partnership for Modernisation (P4M) illustrates its rigour. The approach demonstrates how P4M is reinforced at the level of EU member states. It reveals how the transgovernmental and transnational levels have developed, changing the quality of EU–Russian relations. Finally, it illustrates that the P4M has brought a thematic change in favour of policy-specific cooperation.

Key words:

• EU–Russian relations
• levels of analysis
• modernisation
• transgovernmental
• transnational
• values and interests

Notes

¹ An interview with a Commission official, November 2008.