LaStampa: Why EU and China need Russia, 2 - by Anna Zafesova and Francesco Sisci

For the complete report from LASTAMPA.it click on this link

Why EU and China need Russia, 2 - by Anna Zafesova and Francesco Sisci

Now that the political-economic confrontation is over, Russia is an integral part of the global market, but it no longer has a counter-balancing role in a market which is western and which can function without the USSR. Russia is now part of the global circuit and therefore this objectively increases its dependence on seesaw market prices beyond its control. Nevertheless, even though it does not decide prices, the very fact that it has an increased threatening power can influence them much more than when it was an outsider in the game. If this is true in the case of oil, integration is even more important when it comes to gas. With the laying of gas pipelines, ‘necessary’ distribution channels were created. What is more, given the need for long term investment, as well as the need to make decisions regarding price far in advance, gas pipelines stabilize the market for both buyers and suppliers by guaranteeing less volatility. But this is also due to the very nature of the pipelines; pumping a product in just one direction.

We thus return to the central question: too much Russia is bad, just as too little Russia is bad. Too little EU, however, could create the conditions for having too much Russia, something that would also be bad for Russia itself because it would revive its imperial instincts. Today this would be destructive both for Russia and for others, and it would certainly be a destabilising influence. In this regard, however, the opposite is also true: a EU which is too strong politically would be a clear blow to Russia and to America. This means that it is necessary for the EU to go in a different direction, something which is already occurring with the idea of a Kerneuropa, which has its own constellation revolving around it, or the view of the EU as kind of super-market with some responsibilities which are shared and others which are kept rigorously separate. In any case, clarity is needed regarding the direction in which the EU, and not just Russia, is heading.