Brussels, 26/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has called on the EU to step up economic cooperation with Russia in order to create, in due course, a “harmonised economic community from Lisbon to Vladivostok”. In future, Putin said in the Süddeutsche Zeitung of 25 November, one might also imagine a free trade area or perhaps far more advanced forms of economic integration. Such a “continental market” would be worth “several billion euro”, he said, also proposing that Europeans develop a “common industrial policy” that would allow the pooling of European and Russian technological potential. He called for “harmonious synthesis” of the two economies. The EU and Russia have been working since 2003 on setting up “common spaces” including an “economic space” within which norms and standards would be as harmonised as possible. In parallel to this, talks continue on a new strengthened partnership agreement that would also provide for talks to be initiated on EU-Russia free trade, once Russia has joined the WTO. (H.B./transl.jl)