| Summary: | This paper analyses the relevance of the centre/periphery model applied to the relations between the European Union and the all the surrounding countries (i. e. Neighbour Countries, Russia and Western Balkans). The description of these relations is based on several indicators such as trade exchanges, foreign direct investments, official development aid, international migrations and remittances. It appears that the relations between EU and those countries remain strongly dissymmetric. But, it also appears that EU is no more only an economic and commercial centre. Its influence as a political actor has been growing since the 1990. This is particularly obvious in the case since the enforcement of the neighbourhood policy and in the political commitment of EU in the Western Balkans. This situation allows every observer of EU external relations to reconsider the traditional centre/periphery model. This model is strictly based on economic factors. This is no longer sufficient and it is no more relevant to give an interpretation of the current relations between EU and the closest countries. It is then necessary to take political factors more into consideration, along with economic ones. Then, the traditional geographical representation of EU as a dominant centre surrounded by dominated peripheries gets is less clear. On the political point of view, EU has a dominant influence only in certain regions and countries, especially on the candidate ones. In the other countries, its status as a political centre is contested and eventually denied. The paper ends with a short analyse of the newly reformed European Neighbourhood Policy. Apparently, this reform will not be sufficient to enhance the political influence of EU in all the countries of its neighbourhood.
|
|---|
