ABSTRACT
Epistemic communities are national or transnational networks of professionals with expertise in a particular domain and an authoritative claim to policy-relevant knowledge within that domain. They exhibit internal cohesion, that is, a consensus on the knowledge and ideas which they aim to communicate to decision-makers. They also have access to the political process. In times of uncertainty, epistemic communities can provide decision-makers with ideas, orientation and advice. The EU and Russia are in such a time of uncertainty: after seven years of geopolitical conflict, their relationship requires reconceptualisation. Alas, experts on both sides see the world very differently. There is currently little potential for the emergence of a strong transnational epistemic community which could jointly promote new ideas. This contrasts sharply with the 1990s and early 2000s, when the rapprochement between expert communities seemed to be sustainable. The chapter retraces the development of expert communities on both sides as well as the interactions between them. It argues that existing expert dialogues, however controversial they may be, remain important as sources of ideas and as a basis for the emergence of ‘real’ epistemic communities in the future, should the political context allow for it.
