Paper Titles & Abstracts

The eastern enlargement moved the borders of the EU to a new geography including new neighbours in the Black Sea region. Thus, since 2007, the EU has been seeking to construct a Black Sea dimension supporting the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). In this respect, the prosperity, stability and security of this region has gained prominence in the EU's agenda more than ever before. While the ENP, founded in 2004, aims to deepen bilateral relations with the neighbouring countries, the Black Sea Synergy launched in 2007 identified the Black Sea region as a single distinct policy area in the EU's external relations. Thus, the Initiative targets the Black Sea Area in a regionalism perspective. The unresolved frozen conflicts, vast environmental problems and insufficient border controls allowing illegal migration and organised crime in the Region have potential impacts on the EU as a regional security complex. The EU's policies towards the Region aims a transformative regionalism leading to Europeanisation. However, the Europeanisation policies in this Area lacks adequate institutional instruments, precise targets and timetables. Moreover, the lack of membership perspective and reward mechanisms similar to the ones in the Europeanisation process of the candidate countries weakens the transformative power of the EU in this complex geopolitical environment. These factors combined with the interdendent and fragile security dynamics of the Region, lead to uncertainty about the future direction of EU policies towards the Black Sea. Within this context, this paper analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the transformative EU policies towards the Region.