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Eurasia and Externalities of Migration Control: Spillover Dynamics of EU-Russia Cooperation on Migration
This chapter focuses on EU–Russia cooperation on migration and extends this analysis geographically and conceptually – to include countries of origin and transit for migrants coming to Russia and to trace the impact of EU
migration policies far beyond its immediate neighbourhood. It shows that externalization of EU migration policy significantly affects countries that do not have the same degree of direct involvement with the EU as its European
Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) partners and involves problematic externalities for the EU normative engagement in Eurasia. First, the chapter provides a brief picture of the developments in EU–Russia cooperation on migration
control. Second, the chapter analyses the place of the readmission agreement in this cooperation. Third, it traces the milestones of Russia–Central Asia relations on readmission and demonstrates the role of the EU in shaping Russia’s priorities, as well as regional migration management dynamics. The chapter argues that the EU–Russia cooperation on migration control has triggered significant spillover dynamics in the wider Eurasian region, as well as in the Middle East, South and South East Asia. Attention to what happens beyond the framework of the EU–Russia readmission agreement can help us get better insights about the degree of EU success in the externalization of its migration control approaches. Finally, the chapter points to several important normative issues and contradictions – externalities of EU policies – stemming from the spread of readmission agreements in the region where human rights of migrants and persons seeking international protection are not guaranteed.