To what extent do the EU's relations with the BSEC foster a dynamic of pluralistic regional cooperation in the Black Sea region? A case-study analysis

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The Ukraine crisis and the emergence of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) has sparked significant debates on regionalism, which have continuously represented the Black Sea region as the contiguous Post-Soviet Space torn between two competing European and Eurasian regional models, namely the EU's Eastern Partnership and the EAEU. Hence, Post-Soviet states remain subjugated to the narrow hegemonic geopolitical interests of Russia and the West. Yet, these debates overlook the overlaps between Russia and the EU in the form of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), whose wide-reaching membership spans from the Western Balkans to the Caucasus, including Russia itself, Turkey and three EU member states. This is problematic as it overshadows the BSEC-driven initiatives towards trust-building and sectoral/industry-driven cooperation, thus limiting the study of regionalism to the overarching regional institutions, as opposed to a multi-faceted tapestry of overlapping organisational actors. This research investigates the extent to which the EU's relations with the BSEC fosters a pluralistic dynamic of regional cooperation in the Black Sea region through the case-study of the EU's Black Sea Synergy Policy (BSS). By analysing the content and discourse surrounding key policies of the EU, the BSEC and their respective ruling elites, this research evaluates the extent to which the BSS fosters pluralistic cooperation. This is supported by interviews with practitioners in sectoral working groups from both the BSS and the BSEC. This research thus seeks to contribute to the growing research on the broadening of Post-Soviet regionalism and thus conventional understandings of regional governance.