The Environmental Component of the EAEU’s International Activities: Realities and Prospects

Abstract

Aim. To analyse the current state and prospects for the development of the environmental component of the Eurasian Economic Union’s international activities. Tasks. To characterize the inclusion of environmental issues in documents regulating the Eurasian Economic Union’s international activities; to identify the features of the Union’s economic cooperation with international organizations, third countries and regional organizations in the field of green technologies and environmental protection; to propose a probable development trajectory of the Union’s cooperation with international partners in the environmental field. Methods. Qualitative content analysis of documents, event analysis, case study as well as a comparative research method were applied. Results. It has been established that the legal foundations of the “green” agenda of the Eurasian Economic Union laid down in 2020 made it possible to intensify the development of the environmental component of both intra-union integration cooperation and the Union’s international activities. It has been revealed that, at the international level, the greatest attention to the issues of the “green” agenda is paid within the framework of the Union’s dialogue with universal international organisations. The Eurasian Economic Union uses multilateral platforms to exchange experience, shape its positive image and demonstrate its achievements. At the same time, cooperation on environmental issues with third countries and regional organizations is in its early stages. Conclusions. The “green” agenda is playing an increasingly prominent role in the Eurasian Econom ic Union’s international activities, demonstrating its successful adaptation to the “greening” of global economic and political processes. The prospects for further development of the environmental component of the Union’s international activities are linked to regular and substantive discussions of the climate agenda with a wide range of partners, covering issues such as low-carbon development, climate regulation, the adoption of green technologies, and the implementation of climate projects. At the same time, the trajectory of further development will largely be determined by the scale of the intra-union “green” integration and the development of bilateral relations between its member states and external partners.