Brussels, 26/04/2005 (Agence Europe) - After Monday's External Relations Council, which took stock of progress made in talks between the EU and Russia on the four “common spaces”, Council President Jean Asselborn showed confidence, telling the press that the morning's discussions had strengthened his conviction that the roadmaps for the four spaces will be adopted during the EU-Russia summit (on 10 May in Moscow). He explained that, for the last time, they reviewed the various areas in which Russia and the EU hope to strengthen their cooperation in years ahead, namely: the economy, security and justice, external security and, finally, research, education and culture.
The Council issued the Commission with a negotiating brief to finalise talks by 10 May, while upholding the main demands of the EU. Ministers also looked at two issues which still pose a problem: - excessive duties to be paid by European airlines for use of Siberian airspace (a subject relating to the “economy” space). The Council agreed on a new wording for the text that is to be put to the Russians; the mutual facilitation of visa formalities and the conclusion of a re-entry agreement between the EU and Russia (a subject that comes under “security, freedom and justice”). On this aspect, a large number of member countries called on the Commission to remain firm and to be adamant about the simultaneous entry into force of the two measures. The EU must now maintain this link in order to ensure that the facilitations advocated by Russia for visa issuance (as well as the Russian request that visa obligations should be abolished in the longer term) may take effect once the agreement on readmission of illegal migrants that the EU demands of Moscow comes into force. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations, told the press: “We must find a formula that allows visa facilitation and re-entry agreements to take effect in parallel”. The EU could, however, show proof of certain flexibility, for example concerning the facilitation of granting diplomatic visas, diplomats say. On the subject of external security, the EU calls on Russia to sign border agreements with Estonia and Latvia by 10 May at the latest and to undertake to have them ratified by the Duma as soon as possible. Moscow must also immediately begin delimiting its border with Lithuania, the EU says. According to the EU25, the roadmap on external security should provide for intensified cooperation with Moscow in order to resolve “frozen conflicts” in the countries that are part of the EU and Russia's common neighbourhood, such as Georgia and Moldova. The EU also hopes to open an exchange of views with Moscow on the possible development of principles and modalities for “joint approaches” when it comes to crisis management, in the context of EU/Russia security cooperation.