1.
Interests vs Values
The EU’s policy towards
Central Asia
Vanessa Boas
26/03/2012 IAI, Rome.

2.
Introduction
“In its relations with the wider world, the Union
shall uphold and promote its values and
interests”
Article 3.5 Lisbon Treaty
How to balance interests and values in energy-
rich dictatorships?

3.
Why Turkmenistan?
1. Ranked among the world’s most authoritarian
regimes on earth
2. Potentially one of the world’s most gas rich
nations on earth
3. Its current relevance in light of the Trans-
Caspian pipeline.

4.
Authoritarianism
• Basic freedoms denied
• Personality cult
• Power through fear

5.
Gas wealth
• 71.21 billion tons of natural gas, 4th largest in the
world (Gaffney, Cline and Associates)
• EU- Turkmen political relations are
underdeveloped.
• Both the EU and Turkmenistan want to
diversify away from Russia.

6.
The Trans- Caspian pipeline

7.
The EU’s dilemma
How can the EU work with Turkmenistan which
violates all basic EU values but has the gas
Brussels needs in order to diversify away from
Russia?

8.
How should the EU deal with Turkmenistan?
Engagement

9.
The NGO response

10.
How should the EU deal with Turkmenistan?
Human rights based conditionality

11.
Why conditionality will not work
1. Lack of leverage/ incentives
2. EU credibility
3. Situation on the ground

12.
Lack of Leverage
• Neither Russia nor China impose any normative
conditions on their commercial deals.

13.
Lack of credibility
“Instead of leading to a visible improvement in
the field of human rights in Uzbekistan, the
sanctions have become a demonstration of the
ineffectiveness of EU human rights
conditionality.”

14.
Situation on the ground
• Patrimonial-authoritarian clan structures
• Basic welfare guaranteed in return for political
loyalty.

15.
Combining interests + values
• Including minimum requirements in its energy
deal.
• Companies must be allowed to meet their
international obligations.
• Normative provisions in sectoral policies.

16.
Combining interests + values
• Invest in local education and infrastructure.
• Capacity building

17.
Combining interests + values
• Environmental Protection (equipment,
awareness, training, monitoring, clean up)

18.
Conclusion
• Engagement + minimum conditions+ normative
provisions.
• Increase interdependence -> increased leverage
• Focus on a bottom- up approach which is less
threatening than conditionality.

19.
Thank You!