Kaliningrad as a Means of Europeanization of Russia?

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This year in the middle of May I was invited to participate the Baltic Sea INTERREG III B final project conference. The event took place in Sweden and the shortest way there was via Gdansk. Early in the morning I left home for Mamonovo and soon found myself at the Russian check- point. There were not so many cars from Kaliningrad in the queue, and in twenty minutes, having passed the Russian customs and border control, I, being surprised with efficiency of our bodies, made my way to the Polish border. And there was a great surprise. There were two queues of machines at the departure to the Polish side. In one queue - much longer - Poles, in another – about 40 cars - Russians. After some time, I started to realize that I can just miss my plane. The Russian queue moved extremely slowly, while the Polish queue - very fast. Only in five (!!!) hours I managed to pass the hundred-meter site that divided me from a Polish barrier.

After all, I was in time for my plane, but it left a gall in my mind. And the questions as well. Why, for example, the Polish frontier bodies with such predilection examine each Russian car, and it takes from 15 till 30 minutes, while cars registered in Europe slip Polish border- crossing free and quickly? What transfrontier cooperation, development of international tourism and business we can talk about? I wonder whether such attitude to the Russians is the so-called “the best European practice” which the European Union is so proud of, dreaming to extend it to the neighboring states including Russia?

Such questions occur when you hear the European politicians, experts and officials speak about necessity to strengthen Europeanization of Russia. The logic of their thinking is simple and clear. We - the EU - is a “good” system which demands unification of everything and not only inside of itself, but also outside. Therefore a strategy of the Wider Europe with common centre of decision-making was invented by Brussels bureaucracy. Certainly, in Brussels. And, if for countries surrounding the EU, aspiring to become elements of this system, there was practically no choice; Russia, which has no intention to enter the European Union, has declared impossibility for itself to follow the above-stated strategy.

And then Russia was proposed another concept. Let us, the Europeans said, create the common European spaces together, create the common market, make the common borders and so on, but thus to preserve a high degree of political independence in decision-making. And Russia agreed to build process of integration with the EU on principles of real partnership. Since then a few years have passed, however the EU speak less and less about integration with Russia by harmonization and rapprochements of systems. And much more often - mentioning necessity of pressure upon Russia and its compulsions to follow “the best European practices”. Certainly, in the European Union there is much to learn, and it is not all so bad as with management on the Polish side of Russia-EU border. However is it appropriate to speak about strengthening of unilateral influence on the equal in rights partner, which Russia is, as they say in Brussels.

In this connection Russia is worried as certain circles in Europe aim to bring in the center of discussion the issue of the so-called Kaliningrad factor in the process of europeanization of our country. Nobody is against interpenetration of economies, cultures, harmonization of legislations, but whether it is more appropriate to speak about bilateral process of convergence: Europeanization of Russia and simultaneous “Russianization” of the EU? In such paradigm of partner relations the role of the Kaliningrad region looks differently. Being an obvious zone of both Russian and EU interests, it turns out from means of influence for one of the parties to a practical example of such partnership, implementing historical pilot mission of a basic opportunity, expediency and necessity of achievement of new quality of relations between Russia and the EU.
Coming back home from Gdansk, I was lucky to pass the border quickly enough. “The life changes for the better”, - I heard my inner optimistic voice. “Wait and see”, the realist one echoed it.