Brussels, 14/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - The members of the bureau of the EPP-ED Group, meeting in Saariselka, Finland, on 6 and 7 May, examined certain aspects of the EU's Nordic Dimension, developments in CFSP, relations with Russia and the prospects for the EU's enlargement.
This meeting in Lapland began with a visit to a border post with Russia, which, as a press release points out, indicates the importance of the Schengen Information System (SIS). During talks, Ville Itala, Finnish Deputy-Prime Minister and President of the Kokkomus Party, stressed that enlargement was no threat to Russia and, on the contrary, had to lead to a deepening of co-operation between the EU and Moscow (see EUROPE of 11 May, p. 17).
The European Parliamentarian Marjo Matikainen Kallstrom attacked the inadequate way account was taken of the EU's Nordic's dimension, notably faced with the Union's common problems and those of candidate countries, like nuclear security and pollution, whereas Risto Volanen, Secretary General of COPA-COGECA, pleaded in favour of investment in the field of agriculture, which, however, is not part of the programme of the EU's Nordic dimension approved at the Luxembourg Summit in 1997.
The energy aspects were also the subject of addresses, Matti Vuoria, President of the Board of Administration of the Fortum Corporation, recommending the opening up of markets to guarantee the security of supply, and MEP Eija Riita Korhola, expressing her doubts regarding natural gas which, taken as a whole, could be as polluting as other fossil fuels.
Ms. Korhola called for EU commitment in the Arctic Council, crated in 1996 and bringing together all the countries in he region concerned with the protection of the Arctic environment (Finland, Sweden and Denmark, as well as Norway, Iceland, Russia, Canada and the United States). Ilkka Suominen, the Group's Finnish Vice-President, concluded the debate by stressing the need to "integrate Russia's and Europe's economies already now".
Speaking on the subject of CFSP, General Gustav Hagglund, Chair of the EU's Military committee, stressed the possibility of the EU to engage in co-operation with Russia on a case by case basis, notably to tackle the common threats of security that are, for example, terrorism and drug trafficking, or in the field of the management of military crises. The member of the CDU, Karl von Wogau again pleaded in favour of a common market in the field of defence and for the inclusion in the next EU Treaty of a mutual assistance clause appearing in the Brussels Treaty (of the EU). As for Juri Rodionov, Deputy Chair of the Defence and Energy Committee in the Duma, he notably criticised the recent European Parliament Resolution over Chechnya.
Finally, talks on enlargement negotiations enabled the former Prime Minister of Estonia, Mart Laar to return to the problems raised by issues of tax, energy and agriculture.