Brussels / Moscow, 02/04/2001 (Agence Europe) - In Moscow on Friday, European Commissioner Pascal Lamy confirmed the Union's support for Russia's membership of the World Trade Organisation, admitting that the process would only be completed gradually.
"Today's conference has focused minds and injected dynamism into the task of Russia's accession to the WTO, a gradual process that cannot be completed overnight", Lamy Declared on the occasion of the round table on the country's integration into the international economic and trading system, organised by the Swedish Presidency and the European Commission. "Russia can count on us to accompany it along this road", he went on. Since notification of Russia's request, in 1993, the process has been in progress both multilaterally and bilaterally. In Geneva, a specific working party is examining Russia's trading system and the changes necessary to enable it to comply with WTO demands (see EUROPE of 3 March p.8); at the same time, a series of bilateral negotiations on the future commitments to market access for goods and services have been underway between Moscow and its main trading partner already members of the "Club". The EU is the first amongst them, contributing close to 40% of Russia's imports and exports.
This is Pascal Lamy's very first trip to Moscow and was also an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations with the Russian authorities and Assembly in the framework of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement signed in 1994. Mr. Lamy notably stressed the importance the Union attached to full application and full respect of this Agreement, as well as of his hope to integrate binding procedural rules for dispute settlement. Mr. Lamy also placed emphasis on the need to find, this year already, means to step-up legislation transparency and convergence further to facilitate trade between the Union and Russia.