Publication

This paper explores the challenges that Russia's strategic use of bilateral disputes pose to the EU. The author employs a case study approach to provide an in-depth analysis of selected disputes and reviews several questions of importance for the coherence of EU policy toward Russia. The paper examines issues at the center of bilateral disputes, strategies member states adopt to resolve them and circumstances under which the disputes are raised to the EU level. The paper concludes that the scope of 'EU solidarity' in bilateral disputes remains deeply contested and draws on insights from the case studies to propose a set of guidelines for the EU's approach to bilateral disputes.