The EU must carry out a “comprehensive and critical” reassessment of its relations with Russia, requests the European Parliament on Tuesday 12 March.
“In the current circumstances, Russia can no longer be considered a 'strategic partner’” and the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement should be reconsidered, say MEPs.
“Any framework for EU-Russia relations should be based on full respect for international law, the Helsinki and OSCE principles, democratic principles, human rights and the rule of law, and allow dialogue to address global challenges, strengthen global governance and ensure the application of international rules”, they detail in Sandra Kalniete's report (EPP, Latvia) on the state of EU-Russia political relations (402 votes for, 163 against and 89 abstentions).
The European Parliament calls for a better definition of the principle of selective engagement with Russia, recommending a focus on issues related to the Middle East and North Africa, North and Arctic regions, terrorism, violent extremism, non-proliferation, arms control, strategic stability in cyberspace, organised crime, migration and climate change. In addition, “the promotion of human rights and the rule of law must be a central element of the collaboration” between the EU and Moscow, the European Parliament points out, denouncing the situation in Russia.
If, according to Parliament, “it is important to ease current tensions and hold discussions” with Moscow, in order to “reduce the risk of misunderstandings and misinterpretation and misreading of facts”, the European Union must be “firm” in its expectations. Thus, there can be no consideration of gradually resuming normal relations until Russia fully implements the Minsk Agreement and fully restores the Ukraine's territorial integrity.
MEPs call for new sanctions, including restrictions on access to finance and technology, if violations of international law continue.
Beyond the situation in the Ukraine, the European Parliament denounces Russia's involvement in the Skripal affair, in disinformation and cyber attacks, in the destabilisation of EU candidate countries and is concerned about the links between the Russian government and the European Union's far-right and populist nationalist parties and governments. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)