A much-used proverb says: a good neighbor is better than a distant friend. Nowhere is it more suitable than the EU’s position vis-a-vis its largest and most important neighbor: the Russian Federation. Current relations are the worst since the end of the Cold War. Despite the often rocky interaction, the European and Russian economies are highly complementary. This has led to a level of dependence that has become a problem for certain countries. The complementarity of the economies has been mutually advantageous for decades: Russia exports vast volumes of raw materials and imports finished, often high-tech, machines. These exports primarily include energy products such as oil and natural gas. Also, after the annexation of Crimea sanctions were introduced that reduced Russia’s access to Europe’s financial sector. Energy imports, however, have remained stable, except for the pandemic period, which is worrying to many European countries. The level of dependence differs […]