The summer of eastern Europe's discontent. The European Council on Foreign Relations. 20 July 2009.
The inability of the EU to transform the region, and the tendency of weak states to play Russia against the West, make problems frequent. The crises are not only serious, but multiple and reinforcing. Some result from weak statehood, such as lack of territorial control and state capture by corrupt special interests. Some stem from Russia's attempts to build a sphere of influence (Russia seeks to control the gas energy infrastructure and maintains a military presence in all six states). These problems were exacerbated by the economic crisis, which hit the region particularly hard. The EU should develop country-specific solidarity strategies to deal with underlying weaknesses. Visa regimes for citizens of the neighborhood countries urgently need to be liberalized to boost the EU's waning soft power and promote travel for bona fide citizens of the neighborhood countries back and forth from the EU, rather than the current de facto reality of permanent illegal migration.
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