ABSTRACT
The ethnic groups from the areas and cultures of the EEU have been and will again be pivotal for the future of Russian regional integration policies. Free movement of labour, which means a continuous influx of migrants to Russia, and enlargement of the member and associate states are currently met with mixed sentiments in the Russian domestic policy arena. Key political parties have promoted the integration process, which is viewed more critically by interest representatives in Russian labour market. We can conclude that Russia’s foreign policy goals with regard to the member states in Central Asia, are challenged by a deeply embedded nationalistic and anti-migration popular opinion inside Russia. The anti-Islamist mood, the rejection of Central Asian migrants on the basis of threat to Russian culture and society, and its core (national) values (Buckler 2008) raise potential difficulties for the whole idea of the EEU and in particular the process of deeper integration. All in all, the Russian labour market actors, the state included, seem to
have been activated by the ongoing parallel developments of the economic crises and the integration attempts in the EEU. The modernisation and diversification of the Russian economy certainly depends on the changes advocated by employees and employers alike. The economic crisis has temporarily slowed down massive work-related migration to Russia, thus giving an opportunity to assess the conditions of the Russian labour market. The anti-migration mood among the Russian citizenry may – paradoxically – increase the popularity of policy shifts. The goals of the EEU push forward questions of harmonisation and standardisation, which reveal the loopholes and old-fashioned structural mechanisms upheld by national legislation and administrative rules. Viewed in this way, the current parallel processes may – in the best of cases – provide the necessary motivation for the long-overdue changes in the shadows of the Russian labour market. It is our conclusion, that the current labour market conditions and the
shadow economy pose a serious challenge to Russia’s regional ambitions in the EEU process. The achievement of Russian geopolitical goals in the EEU is affected by practical challenges to Russian institutions. Considerable investment on human capital is required to implement real change in practices and ways of thinking. Russian foreign policy goals are thus linked with the overall development of welfare and educational opportunities in the
