The January meeting focused on domestic developments in Russia. It aimed at taking stock of the Putin era and assessing the current state of the political, economic and societal system. The first session was devoted to the development of the political system. In the second session, the Task Force explored reforms which have been pursued in different areas during the last eight years in order to analyse state performance and efficiency in today’s Russia. The third session examined changes in Russian society and its value system as well as about state-society relations at the end of Putin’s Presidency.
Session I: Russia's political system at the end of the Putin era
Session II: Reform processes under Putin
Session III: State-society relations in Russia
Conclusion: Implications for the EU
Coinciding with the Russian presidential elections, the EUISS has published a report in which a group of Russian authors explore the challenge faced by Russia’s political elite from a rapidly evolving society. The report examines the recent protests and the need for political reform and assesses how the gap between state and society has undermined the legitimacy of the ruling class.
Moscow is increasingly seeing its leadership in the neighbourhood challenged. This piece examines how Moscow is trying to attract its neighbours back into its sphere of influence through policy shifts and trade agreements.
What scenarios lie ahead for Russia after the March 2012 presidential elections? The authors of this paper define potential ‘game changers’ and provide conclusions as to which post-election scenarios might be more favourable to Russia, and to the European Union.
