The EU’s Soft Power in Central Asia after 2022: Possibilities and Limit

Abstract

 The article examines the transformation of European Union policy in Central Asia after 2022 through the prism of three key variables: economic, sanctions-regulatory, and cultural-educational. A comparative analysis of EU strategic documents (2019–2025) and the media discourse of leading regional publications reveals a shift in priorities toward transport infrastructure development, energy diversification, access to critical resources, and the institutionalization of sanctions control. Cultural and educational initiatives enhance the EU’s positive image, yet their impact remains limited: they do not translate into sustainable political loyalty and are constrained by competition from Russia and China. Consequently, EU policy combines pragmatic incentives with limited soft power. The economic and sanctions-regulatory dimensions generate short-term outcomes, while soft power functions as a cumulative resource with long-term effects. The balance between these domains ultimately defines both the opportunities and the limits of European influence in the region. The effectiveness of future strategy will depend on the EU’s capacity to align control mechanisms with the expansion of educational and humanitarian programs, thereby transforming them into a sustainable factor of political presence in Central Asia.

Keywords: European Union, Central Asia, “soft power”, sanctions policy, transport corridors, energy diversification, cultural and educational cooperation, media discourse.