The Union State (the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus) and the EU: the experience of deepening integration and the key issues of interaction
This article is devoted to the consideration of the most effective ways of adapting the political, economic, cultural and humanitarian experience of the EU to maximize the harmonization and acceleration of the pace of integration processes that shaping the modern image of the Union State of Russia and Belarus. The article concretizes the main directions of EU integration activities, the theoretical and applied analysis of which would make a significant contribution to enhancing the effectiveness of cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus within the framework of the Union State. In addition, the article examines key problems that to some extent impede the full development of the political dialogue between Russia and Belarus, on the one hand, and the states of the European Union, on the other. The authors conclude that the main problems facing the strengthening of the political dialogue between the Union State and the EU are the following: disagreements over ways and methods of settling the Ukrainian and Syrian crises; the energy factor and the conflicting approaches of the two sides to issues of humanitarian interaction and respect for human rights.