ABSTRACT
Despite the general deterioration in the relationship between Russia and the West, relations between Russia and the European Union (EU) in the science and technology (S&T) field continue to develop in a positive way. The existing scheme of these relations has the benefit of formally depoliticising practical scientific and technical cooperation and ensures it largely remains outside wider political conjuncture. Thus, even within an era of sanctions and ‘selective engagement’ in EU–Russia relations, there remains high potential for cooperation between the parties. The aim of this chapter is to evaluate the legal basis for EU–Russia relations in science and technological cooperation against the backdrop of ‘selective engagement’. It first pays attention to the historical background of EU–Russian S&T cooperation before moving on to the provisions on science and technological cooperation in the basic agreement between the actors and then focuses on the specific agreements in this area. Finally, it examines the legal aspects of the relationship in the wider context of bilateral EU–Russia science and technology cooperation.
