Discussion
With the end of the Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the European international order moved into a new phase. While most studies focus on the collapse of the communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe and the German reunification, the Kremlin, facing economic difficulties, placed increasing emphasis on a different aspect of its relations with Europe: its relationship with the European Community (EC), which had been normalised in 1988.
In June 1988, the EC and the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA), which represented two distinct economic systems in Cold War-era Europe, signed a joint declaration establishing official relations between them. This joint declaration symbolises the improvement in relations between East and West Europe; it is noteworthy in that it marked the end of the Soviet Union's consistent policy of "non-recognition" towards the integration process in Western European countries following World War II. The Soviet Union consistently viewed the EC as a force that strengthened monopolistic capitalism as the economic foundation of NATO and undermined the sovereignty of European countries. However, after Gorbachev came to the office, the Soviet Union moved away from Cold War thinking and shifted its policy towards Europe as a realistic adjustment to the declining Soviet economy.
Following the normalisation of relations between the EC and CMEA, the Soviet leadership attempted to deepen its bilateral relations with the EC. The Kremlin no longer had the economic resources to provide various privileges to the Eastern countries; instead, it focused on improving its own economic relations with Western European countries. Initially, the improvement in the Soviet-EC relations was presented as economic cooperation. However, as internal turmoil in the Soviet Union worsened, it gradually took on the character of economic aid to the Kremlin.
This study examines the relationship between the Soviet Union and Western European countries at the End of the Cold War from an economic perspective. This study is primarily based on archival documents from Russia, the United Kingdom, and the European Commission.
