Brussels, 28/05/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Friday afternoon, only a few days before the EU-Russia summit in Rostov on 31 May-1 June, which is expected to approve a joint statement on the priorities for the new “Partnership for Modernisation” (PfM), the European and Russian sides had still to find agreement on the list of issues to be dealt with under the new initiative. The EU says that the PfM should provide “political impetus” to the agenda for the domestic reform agenda of Russian President Dmitiri Medvedev, without undermining the other on-going bilateral initiatives - setting up the four “common spaces” and negotiation of a new and more ambitious partnership agreement. The aim of the PfM, a high-ranking diplomat said on Friday, is to help modernise not only the economies of the two blocks, but also society and the rule of law in Russia. “For us, it is clear that the Partnership for Modernisation must be based on democracy and the rule of law,” our source said. The EU wants to launch, inter alia, projects to reform the Russian justice system and to tackle crime and corruption.
Moscow, however, sees things differently. The PfM should focus on joint projects which will make the Russian and European economies more competitive, stimulate investment, commercial and technological exchanges and help align industrial standards, says a Russian paper sent to the EU in February. There is not a single word on democratic reform or the rule of law. The European side remains, despite everything, hopeful that the list of priorities to be approved at the Rostov summit will at least make reference to the rule of law. It was President Medvedev himself, in recent speeches, who highlighted the need for democratic reform, a European diplomat pointed out.
The PfM's other (economic) priorities have virtually been agreed. They are, essentially: - enhancing trade relations; - promoting small and medium-sized enterprises; - aligning industrial and agricultural technical standards; - improving space cooperation (an agreement between Glonass and Galileo on satellite navigation could be concluded before the end of the year); - launching projects to develop the green economy; - creating new transport inter-connections; - improving the dialogue with civil society, etc. Once the priorities have been approved (in theory at the Rostov summit), coordinators on both sides will draft a work plan for their implementation.
Visas. The Rostov summit will also decide to move from the “exploratory phase” in the EU-Russia dialogue on visas to an “operational and practical phase”, European sources have indicated. In practical terms, high-ranking officials on both sides will be charged with elaborating common steps that will identify the technical measures to be taken so that, at some point, both sides will be able to get rid of visas. The EU's long-term objective remains visa abolition, “but, before that, there are many specific individual steps to be taken by Russia”. “Once these practical and verifiable steps have been taken, member states will look at the results of this practical phase and will then take a decision on whether we should go towards a visa waiver agreement ... but it's not for tomorrow,” our European source said.
On the agenda for the summit, at which the EU will be represented by Herman Van Rompuy, José Manuel Barroso, Catherine Ashton and Karel De Gucht, will also feature: - the global economic and financial crisis; - climate change; - energy security; - Euro-Atlantic security; - international issues (Iran, Middle East, Georgia, Moldova/Transnistria, Afghanistan/Pakistan). (H.B./transl.rt)