The Eurasian Economic Union – keeping up with the EU and China

Among the numerous Eurasian regional organisations (ROs) founded since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) sticks out as the first comprehensive economic integration agreement, in which member states give up sovereignty in the area of external trade. For the first time, Russia foregoes its veto power in one of the bodies of the EAEU. This is especially puzzling given that all EAEU member states are non-democratic regimes, which usually do not enter agreements that limit their room for manoeuvre and opportunities to control rents. This article investigates the reasons for why Russia opted for the deepening of regional integration and relinquished sovereignty to the regional level. The article contends that autocratic states create ROs to mitigate threats to regime survival and stability. If the leading state, which initiates and sponsors the creation of ROs, perceives threats to its survival as grave enough and the RO promises adequate remedies, it will be willing to agree to compromises and side payments. Drawing on a sample of speeches and official statements as well as on a series of elite interviews, the analysis proves that the EAEU is a means of regime survival in light of Russia’s perceived encirclement by China and the EU.