ABSTRACT
Civil society rarely becomes the focus of EU–Russia relations scholarship. It is quite puzzling because, first, there is a rich history of cooperation between EU and Russian civil society actors and, second, because both the EU and Russia pay much attention to civil society in their external policies. The chapter takes stock of both the evolution of EU–Russia civil society cooperation and the evolution of civil society–related policies developed and implemented by the EU and Russia. In particular, it shows that civil society was a part of the EU’s democracy promotion in Russia until approximately 2012. Later, when Russia changed its foreign policy and domestic treatment of civil society actors, and the parties found themselves in conflict with each other, the EU modified its policy towards civil society in Russia and adopted new instruments and discourses. At the same time, in response to developments in Russia, many Russian civil society organisations (CSOs) have themselves retreated from dialogue at the EU–Russia level. Whether CSOs will become more active participants in EU–Russian relations is uncertain and dependent on the future trajectory of the wider relationship.
