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Despite the relatively short history of its development, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is becoming more confident about itself as a successful integration project. At the same time, there is a growing interest in the EAEU by the political elite and scientific community in Russia and abroad. The EAEU is investigated from different points of view, but almost no research is carried out without a comparative legal analysis of the EAEU and the European Union (EU). Both unions belong to the same type of integration organizations; the EAEU was largely created in the image of the EU. However, an analysis of the institutional and legal structure of the EAEU and the EU shows there are fundamental differences between the two unions concerning the principles of their functioning. This article substantiates the fact that supranational constitutionalization within the EU is not typical for the EAEU and is even harmful. At the same time, the technical tools developed by the EU can be useful to the EAEU for resolving current challenges of ensuring sustainability and self-affirmation in the international arena. This experience is of importance in view of the crisis experienced by the EU, since only they were able to manifest what institutional and legal decisions are working within the framework of an integration association, and which should be discarded. It is vital that the EAEU not repeat the mistakes and miscalculations of the EU.

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The edited book by Russian scholars and UK experts focuses on the political and economic developments Britain faces following the end of the post-Brexit transition period. Against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, B. Johnson’s Conservative government was confronted with many challenges, from trying to put together an adequate anti-crisis domestic policy to fitting UK foreign policy into the «Global Britain» framework. The authors look into the UK foreign trade policy, the roadblocks in the implementation of the UK – EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the impact of Brexit and the pandemic on the competitiveness of London as a leading financial hub, and how UK plans moving over to a climate-neutral economy. Special emphasis is given to the centrifugal trends in Scotland and Northern Ireland that conspicuously manifested themselves upon the UK withdrawal from the EU, along with the phenomenon of anti-monarchism. The authors explore Russia – UK relations in the light of the Integrated Review and provide an analysis of the latest developments in the UK defense strategy and armed forces.

Threats posed to human rights by the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) are considered, along with some potential legal mitigations. The active efforts of the EU in the field of AI regulation seem particularly relevant for research considering its approach centred on citizens’ rights. Thus, the present study aims to describe the key features of the EU approach to regulating AI in the context of human rights protection, as well as identifying both its achievements and deficiencies, and proposing improvements to existing provisions. The presented analysis of the proposed AI Act pays special attention to provisions that set out to eliminate or mitigate the main risks and dangers of AI. The currently intensive development of AI regulation in the EU (the Presidency Compromise Text presented by the Council of the EU, amendments of the European Committee of the Regions, opinions of interested parties and human rights organisations, etc.) makes this study especially timely due to its highlighting of problematic aspects. The analysis shows that, on closer examination, the proposed law leaves many sensitive and controversial issues unsettled. In the context of AI applications, the proposed solution is considered as an emergency measure in order to rapidly integrate purportedly trustworthy AI into human society. As a result of the analysis, the authors propose potential improvements to the AI Act, including the possibility to update the lists of all types of AI, clarify the concept of transparency and eliminate the self-assessment procedure. It is also necessary to consider the potential reclassification of some AI systems currently defined as presenting limited risk as systems presenting considerable risk or prohibited systems.