ABSTRACT
This chapter concentrates on the Russian approaches to the economic integration with the European Union. It starts with the description of the process leading to the Common Economic Space (CES) Concept, delineating its phases, main activities, and the working mode. The chapter starts with delineating the major steps and phases of the negotiations leading to the CES Concept Paper and beyond. It illustrates an essentially top-down nature of the process on the Russian side, with the dominant role of the role of the governmental bureaucracies. The chapter aims on to assess the impact that several economic studies have made on the negotiations on the Russian side and the final content of the Concept. It argues that the Concept of the CES represents an original model in itself, combining the elements of the European Economic Area and Swiss models; that is, it unites both horizontal and sectoral approaches.
