Brussels, 26/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday the European Parliament adopted the report by Swedish Liberal Cecilia Malmström on relations with Russia by an overwhelming majority (488 in favour, 20 against, with 63 abstentions: see EUROPE 8954). In it the EP affirms that good neighbour relations and cooperation between the EU and Russia are crucially important for stability, security and prosperity on the whole of the European continent but that relations have to be founded on common values, “consisting of respect for human rights, the market economy, the rule of law and democracy”. The EP welcomes the progress accomplished by Russia on issues such as ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, the extension of the Cooperation Partnership Agreement, transit of persons from or to Kaliningrad, as well as progress in negotiations on Russia's accession to the WTO. MEPs welcome the results of the EU/Russia Summit of 10 May and particularly the adoption of the road maps for implementing the four common spaces. They are calling on the Council, Commission and Russia to “exploit the dynamic created by the Summit” and take concrete measures for implementing the road maps. On the first common space (the economy), the EP welcomes strengthened cooperation in the environment, telecommunications, transport and energy but also underlines the need to do more in competition areas and improve investment and legal security conditions. The “Yukos” affair constitutes a “fundamental test” in Russia's ability to respect the rule of law, intellectual property rights and market transparency. The report also supports Russia's goal of joining the WTO in the belief that it is in their common interest to “encourage Russia to become a partner benefiting from an open, dynamic and diversified economy”. It calls on the EU and Moscow to begin negotiations for setting up a free trade zone as soon as Russia joins the WTO. Such an agreement would be a “great leap forward in the constitution of a common economic space, which will include the trade in goods and services, the right of establishment, regulation of public procurement and compatibility of regulations with other trade aspects”. In the area of Justice and Home Affairs (freedom, security and justice space), the report underlines that the conclusion of a readmission agreement between the EU and Russia is a “preliminary condition” to the signing of an agreement on facilitating visa procedures and the EU should support Russia's aim of a simplified visa system with the Schengen Space and set out a long term objective of visa-free movement. According to the EP, however, the common space should not be limited to visa questions but should also include actions aimed at strengthening democracy, the rule of law and independence of the media. Bilateral consultations on human rights (launched last April) should become a “permanent feature” of the EU/Russia partnership. The EP believes that in the context of the third common space, external security, the EP is pleased with that the cooperation framework could later lead to the setting up of a specific forum for EU/Russia dialogue on security, conflict prevention and resolution, non-proliferation and disarmament. This new cooperation should allow for a peaceful and political settlement to be found for all territorial and political conflicts affecting Russia or its neighbouring states, including the Caucasus and the Transnistrian conflict in Moldova, underlines the EP. MEPs are now awaiting “concrete actions” to settle “frozen conflicts”, as well as “greater dialogue on crisis and security management”. It underlines that Russia has to fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, “including the right of each of them to seek the reinforcement of their relations with other States and organisations on the basis of their own interests and in compliance with the principles defined in the framework of the UN, OSCE and Council of Europe”. The EP is particularly calling for Moscow to respect the territorial integrity of Georgia and Moldova and for it to withdraw its troops from the two countries. The EP says that the EU is also expected to tackle the question of Belarus with Russia for whom democratisation of the country is in the common interest of the EU and Moscow. In connection with the research/education/culture common space, the EP has welcomed the decision to set up a European Institute in Moscow in 2006.
The EP is again calling on Russia to ratify “without waiting any longer” the border agreement with Estonia (signed last week) and to sign one with Latvia. The EP points to, in this context, the definitive outline of the common borders with Russia and with Estonia (signed last week) and to sign another with Latvia. In this context, it recalls that the definitive line of all the borders with Russia and the new EU Member States and the conclusion of a re-entry clause are preconditions for signing the EU/Russia agreement aimed at facilitating visa issuance. Cooperation in the fight against terrorism must be more effective, but for now it is hampered by the great variety of views expressed on the root causes of terrorism, the EP notes, stressing that counter-terrorism cannot be carried out at the expense of human rights and civil liberty.
On the subject of Chechnya, the EP condemns the murder of Mr Mashhadov and calls on all parties to put an end to the violence. “It is imperative to find a political solution that would involve all the democratic components of the Chechen society”, a solution that would nonetheless respect Russia's territorial integrity, the EP says. French Green member Marie Anne Isler Beguin explained that her group had abstained during voting as the text on Chechnya was insufficiently critical of Moscow.
On Wednesday, during the debate, addresses given by several MEPs of the new member nations showed that the memory of Soviet occupation continues to weigh on their relations with Moscow and, as a result, also on EU/Russia relations. One should not forget that Russia today is the successor of the USSR and that it refuses to assume its responsibilities for what happened in Central and Eastern Europe at the end of the Second world War, Polish IND/DEM member Miroslaw Mariusz Piotrowski said. Inese Vaidere (UEN, Latvia) asserted that “Russia must recognise the occupation of Latvia” and her compatriot, Guntars Krasts (UEN) expressed scepticism about relations improving with Moscow given the deadlock over the border agreement with Latvia. Russia must admit to the Soviet occupation of the Baltic States and open up its archives from the Second World War, he stressed. German national Elmar Brok (CDU) believed it indispensable to “maintain channels of discussion with Russia despite the criticism that can still be made of it” when it comes to democracy. The EU has obligations towards Chechnya and the other local conflicts and must not only provide humanitarian aid and technical assistance but also “take part in political and social reconstruction, preparing the future of generations to come by concrete action”, Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said. The Commission should not be naïve, Bart States (Greens, Belgium) asserted, saying: “Its money goes to building public buildings or into the pockets of criminals”. He recalled that the former Commissioner, Chris Patten, had already noted that nothing is gained from hearty meetings. It is therefore necessary to be intransigent about Chechnya, and do as Kruchtchev did when he struck the table with his shoe at the UN, Mr States said. The Commissioner tried to be more reassuring, however, saying: “The summit on 10 May confirmed that our relations are based on common values, including the respect of human rights and democracy, rule of law and market economy”. There are problems “but we discuss them every time - we do not try to avoid the difficult issues”, she assured, admitting, however, that the EU has often lacked consistency when it came to relations with Russia. “We must step up our efforts to define and maintain a common position towards Moscow”, she said. In this respect, Armin Laschet (CDU, Germany) spoke of countries like Germany, France and Italy that seek special relations with Moscow, which is not always compatible with the EU's position.