1. Challenges and Opportunities  of Economic Integration  within a wider European and Eurasian Space
Elena Rovenskaya
Acting Program Director
Advanced Systems Analysis Program
IIASA

2. Motivation
Rising interest towards regional integration in various new forms and depth of world-wide international economic policies during the last few decades
Further enlargement of the EU and development of the EU Eastern Partnership (EaP) initiative
Establishment of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan (RBK-CU) and its subsequent evolution into the Single Economic Space (SES) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU)
Need for independent interdisciplinary holistic assessment of costs and benefits of various integration scenarios!

3. Project Goal
To discuss and analyze critical issues of economic cooperation between the enlarged EU, RBK-CU/SES and their neighbors including the key Asian players, such as China, Korea and Japan Key dimensions: trade, energy, electricity market, transport, investment, labor movement, non-tariff barriers etc.

4. Pilot Phase
Aim: build community and set up the agenda for larger research project
Timeframe: 2013 – 2014
Format: Series of round table discussions
Follow up materials: reports, policy notes, white papers, position papers etc.
Funding:
Eurasian Development Bank
Eurasian Economic Commission
Involvement of key institutions:
DG Trade, European Commission
Presidential Administration of Russian Federation

5. Pilot Phase Key research partners:
Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki, Finland
Centre for Integration Studies, Eurasian Development Bank, Russia  
Institute for Economies in Transition, Bank of Finland, Finland
Institute for Economic Forecasting, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia
Institute of Economics and Forecasting, National Academy of Sciences, Ukraine 
Research Center, Institute for Privatization and Management (IPM), Belarus
Scientific Center for Eurasian Integration, Russia
The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw), Austria
Broader involvement of researchers, experts and decision makers from interested countries, notably IIASA’s NMO countries, is needed!

6. Round tables
WS1: Methodology for assessing regional economic integration March 2014
WS2: Trade policy regimes July 2014
WS3: Cooperation in education & research
WS4: Technical standards, regulations & non-tariff barriers
WS5: Transport infrastructures
WS6: Energy markets and common electric power market
WS7: Labour market, acknowledgement of professional qualifications & migration
WS8: Investment protection and intellectual property rights
WS9: Prospects for Greater Eurasia from Atlantic to Pacific

7. More information: www. iiasa. ac
More information: Contact: Elena Rovenskaya