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This paper focuses on the construction of migration policies in the EU neighbourhood. While realist accounts insist that nation-states are rational actors and policies are based on their needs and interest-based calculations, the constructivist arguments, promoted by World Society theory, emphasize the impact of global political culture on shaping policies of social entities. On the example of migration policy-making in the EU neighbourhood post-Soviet states I argue that migration policies are highly standardized despite diverging geopolitical interests of these nation-states. Population control migration models are promoted under the global cultural theme of economic progress and are highly individual-centred in content, regardless of emigration or immigration concerns of nation-states, their power dynamics and economic standing. These scripted purposes for policy adoption diffuse regardless of imposed conditionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a gap between the academic discourse's acknowledgement of the importance of the question of diverging values in the relations between Russia and the European Union (EU), especially in the light of recent human rights cases, and the ongoing tendency of recent analyses of EU-Russia human rights relations to focus on rationalist cost-benefit accounts which leave out value interpretation issues. I seek to fill this gap by genealogically analyzing the origin of different human rights understandings of Europe and Russia and their constitution of the scope of foreign policy action. The results point to a high divergence of the meaning of human rights between the European Union and Russia as well as a high relevance of this divergence for both parties' foreign action and identity formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a theoretical background to the interest definition of the EU in dealing with the Cyprus issue that has implications for regional and global security. The shifting interest definitions of the EU are analysed through neorealist and social constructivist schools of International Relations. It is argued that the European approach to Cyprus is based on strategic priorities, taking into account the geopolitical position of the island in the Eastern Mediterranean context. Since this region faces a turbulent period, EU's relations with its neighbourhood are to be reformed under new conditions. In this regard, the Cyprus issue constitutes a case for understanding the interest identification upon which EU foreign policy is based on. This paper states that while the Eastern Mediterranean region imposes strategic visions over integrative ones, EU foreign policy's efficiency and cohesion is strongly linked to its soft power capacities defined in terms of constructive and cooperative attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the roles of founding principles of the EU with the method of doctrinal constructivism, thereby explaining this specific approach to legal scholarship. At the same time it proves the usefulness of the constitutional approach to EU law. Core characteristics of the EU legal order should become more tangible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]