The EU's Central Asia Strategy was introduced in 2007 in order to upgrade the EU's cooperation with the five states of the region. One of the objectives of EUCAM was to assess and monitor the implementation of the EU's Central Asia Strategy. This policy brief serves as a summary of the EUCAM Report Into EurAsia - Monitoring the EU's Central Asia Strategy, by Michael Emerson, Jos Boonstra, Nafisa Hasanova, Marlene Laruelle and Sebastien Peyrouse.

Since 2008, after the period of relative growth and social stability, the situation in Tajikistan has been steadily deteriorating; thus leading to increased speculation that the country could emerge as a failing state. Given its proximity to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the role it plays in the Northern Distribution Network, a line that funnels military supplies from Europe to NATO ISAF troops in Afghanistan, the ramifications of potential instability in Tajikistan would resonate beyond the country. The current brief assesses to what extent such danger is in fact real by outlining developments in the key areas of economy and security, and examining the regime’s coping capacity to deal with emerging challenges.

Since 2003, the EU has been exporting border management assistance to the Central Asian Republics via the Border Management Programme for Central Asia (BOMCA), which has sought to train border guards, provide key technology and infrastructure at border crossings, and prod states in managing their borders jointly. BOMCA is funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme through a network of five in-country teams wholly dedicated to BOMCA. While the programme’s continued presence in all Central Asian states is itself a success and measures well in comparison to initiatives in the EU’s Central Asia Strategy for a New Partnership, 2007-2013, this policy brief assesses BOMCA’s mission and achievements so far and provides recommendations designed to bolster the EU’s impact on border management assistance.

Central Asia faces a broad range of security challenges. Due to the region's position at the crossroads between Russia, China and Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and the Caspian Sea it is confronted with a range of trans-national issues such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, organised crime and terrorism. Central Asia also encounters specific regional threats including scarcity of water resources for generating power and irrigation purposes, which is currently causing tension. On a national level the five Central Asian republics face the threat of instability due to bad governance and the harsh impact of the economic crisis. The European Union regards itself as a security actor and takes a keen interest in working with Central Asian states on the basis of joint security interests. This EUCAM policy brief assesses in what aspects of Security Sector Reform the EU is engaged in with Central Asia and in what context these possible activities should be viewed.

The EU's Rule of Law Initiative is intended, on the part of the EU and member states, "to support on-going modernisation of the legal sector, as part of a more comprehensive strategy to foster and consolidate stability, prosperity and respect for human rights in Central Asian countries". Rule of Law is now being viewed as a key policy goal amongst international development actors. Economic growth, political modernisation and the ability to attract foreign investment hinges, in part, on strengthening rule of law in transitional states. This Policy Brief analyses the development and implementation of the EU's Rule of Law Initiative in Central Asia, paying attention to the process and problems of political dialogue, the coordination of specific long-term projects through various agencies and the normative limitations of the approach.

After fifteen years of independence, there are practically no democratic institutions in place in Uzbekistan. Four years after the 2005 Andijon crackdown and the subsequent Western sanctions, almost nothing has changed and the European Union is struggling to establish a credible policy towards the ‘heart of Central Asia’. Uzbekistan is not an easy or predictable partner. The EU must make its message about the importance of reforms heard within the Uzbek political elite. Only a long-term EU commitment and engagement geared towards Uzbekistan’s development will help to build relations and create clarity on both sides.

In 2007 the EU published a Strategy for a New Partnership with Central Asia. In its initial stages the EU focused on developing new forums for dialogue with the Central Asian countries, and received some criticism for inadequate substantive actions. This Policy Brief argues that the current global economic crisis does not alter the priorities of the EU Strategy, but it does require the EU to stick to existing obligations and also provides an opportunity for fresh initiatives to better achieve the Strategy’s fundamental goals. This EUCAM Policy Brief is part of a mini-series of three publications on the impact of the global slowdown on Central Asia and its relations with the European Union.

In spite of positive developments in terms of human rights, the rule of law and democratisation in Central Asia following the adoption of the European Union (EU) Strategy for Central Asia in June 2007, the state of the mass media continues to deteriorate in all five countries in the region. This policy brief identifies tendencies and problems affecting the development of free media outlets in Central Asia and proposes ways and means through which the EU could engage to improve the situation.

The energy shortage in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan has deteriorated recently, with serious repercussions on the local population. Both countries are heavily dependent on hydro resources but the outdated and barely functional energy infrastructure in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan has had to face a number of environmental challenges, such as a cycle of dry years and harsh winters. This EUCAM Policy Brief focusses on the root causes of the energy crisis in Kyrgyzstan, assessing its implications for the wider region and looking at the role the European Union could play in working with Kyrgyzstan to improve the situation.

During 2008, Kosovo independence, the Russo-Georgian war and the revival of tensions in Xinjiang and Tibet moved the question of separatism once again to the top of the international agenda. In Central Asia, where state-building remains difficult because of multiple domestic problems, the question of separatism is seen as crucial and the revival of the issue of Uyghur separatism in western China has caused widespread concern. This EUCAM Policy Brief addresses the difficulties of the questions of Kosovo and Georgia for EU strategy and the broad impact of these two cases upon the post-Soviet space in general, and Central Asia in particular.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline links Azerbaijan and Georgia to European energy markets but has also opened up a transit corridor for resource-rich Central Asian states. Kazakhstan has increasingly used this westbound route for its oil exports but was startled during the August cionflict between Russia and Georgia. This EUCAM Policy Brief assesses the impact of the war on Kazakhstan’s plans of ’going west’. Although the impact of the war has been severe Astana does not seem inclined to give up the South Caucasus route, which is highly important for commercial and geopolitical reasons.

Most of the spotlight on Central Asia continues to be on its potential role in guaranteeing Europe’s energy security by helping to diversify its energy supplies. This legitimate although increasingly exclusive focus risks overshadowing one of the most urgent issues that the region’s populations face: food security. Food security refers here to both physical and economical access to food and food supplies. The current food crisis in the region cannot be understood unless located in the broader nexus that encompasses food, water and, indeed, energy (gas and oil).This paper provides an evaluation of the current food security crisis in Central Asia and links it to the broader water crisis experienced by Central and South Asia forming an ‘energy-water-food security nexus’.

On the 20th of July 2007, the Council of the European Union adopted “The EU and Central Asia: Strategy for a New Partnership”. The Strategy signalled the EU’s ambition to initiate a fundamental shift in its relations with Central Asia through, for the first time, linking general political goals to a concrete working prospectus in the region.