Brussels, 17/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - At its weekly meeting on Wednesday, the European Commission is to adopt the EU's compromise position on the issue of civilian and military transit between the enclave of Kaliningrad and the rest of Russia. This proposal will then be on the agenda of the General Affairs Council of 30 September while awaiting an agreement between the Fifteen at the European Council of Brussels on 24 and 25 October. The common position will then be presented to the Russian authorities so as to find a mutually acceptable solution at the EU/Russia Summit in November.
The EU places emphasis on the need to have the Schengen acquis respected when Poland and Lithuania join in 2004, and thus impose a visa regime on people transiting its territory. Given the enclave's special situation, the EU is prepared to facilitate the conditions for issuing visas to Russian citizens, notably proposing a "Kaliningrad passport", a sort of long duration visa for Russians living in Kaliningrad or who often go there (see EUROPE of 12 September, p.8). For their part, the Russians would in the short term like a change to European legislation, like transit by train or coach on a well defined itinerary from or to Russia and for which passengers would not need visas (see EUROPE of 4 September, p.8). In the long term, Russia would like the visa regime between Russia and the EU to disappear. In the informal Justice and Home Affairs Council of 13 and 14 September, the Commission considered that the idea of a train was one to be "studied", while stating that it found it difficult to achieve (see EUROPE of 14 September, p.8).