The policy of EU «non-great power» member states in Central Asia

Besides Germany, Great Britain and France, other EU member states paid more attention to Central Asia over the last decade. Italy is active in Central Asia in comparison with other states of «old Europe». Originally its policy was driven by the interests of Italian business and the need to correlate with the common occidental policy in Central Asia. It led Rome to give priority to relationship with Kazakhstan since early 1990s and Uzbekistan since mid-1990s. Since late 1990s Kazakhstan became Italy's key economic partner due to the expansion of oil imports and Italian investments in local oil and gas industry. At the same time bilateral trade between Italy and Turkmenistan increased. Italy's trade ties with Uzbekistan suffered a decline over the last years, while its economic relationship with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan remains negligible. Preventing illegal drug traffic is another serious interest of Rome in Central Asia that explains Italy's recent rapprochement with Tajikistan. Polish foreign policy towards Central Asia is of special interest among European states that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007. After the break-up of the Soviet Union Warsaw declared itself to be a «regional stability exporter» to the post-Soviet area against Russia's influence that pushed Poland to promote relations first with Kazakhstan, later with Uzbekistan. In doing so Kazakhstan was given priority over Uzbekistan as a big Polish diaspora lives in the country. The factors of 9/11, Poland's membership in the NATO and the prospective entry into the EU made its regional policy more active since the beginning of the first decade of 2000s. An impetus was provided to deepen political relationship with Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan consolidated its position of Poland's biggest economic partner because of energy imports and Warsaw's interest related to oil transit through the Polish territory. In 2002-2004 political and legal foundations were laid for Poland's ties with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The interests and goals of other EU member states are narrow, issue-oriented. First, Central Asian states are regarded as exporters of such raw materials as oil, non-ferrous metals, raw cotton. Second, a number of EU states are interested in using their territory and infrastructure for transit transportation of raw materials from Central Asia to the European and world market. Kazakhstan's economy boosted by petrodollars attracts European producers and investors. In addition, the EU member states' contribution to the activities of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and preventing drug traffic are the main elements of the EU member states security interests in Central Asia. Finally, Greek, Bulgarian and Lithuanian ethnic communities living in the states of Central Asian are of some importance. There is a small group of EU states consisting of Luxembourg, Ireland and Malta whose interest in Central Asia is still invisible

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