"The aim of this article is to show the strong economic dependence of Eurasian countries on Russia. The process of economic union is one last step in a deep relationship between these countries and Russia, and represents a driving force of this geopolitical Janus. The Economic Union has the potential to become a powerful geo-economic actor. Analysing data drawn from two macroeconomic variables – remittances and trade (imports and exports) in 2013-2014 – we will show that Moscow leads and promotes economic development across the entire Eurasian bloc. The Balkans situation, in contrast, remains fluid and very uncertain: the Balkans represent a specific geo-political area, albeit outside the context of a specific geo-political bloc, but they are still highly connected to certain European Union countries, failing to establish strong trade flows within the region. This represents a risk that could lead the Balkans to become an EU periphery instead of being a geo-political actor on the world scenario"

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