Brussels, 25/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - The twentieth EU-Russia Summit, which is being held on Friday 26 October in Mafra in Portugal, will be an occasion for a broad overview of relations between the two partners, but will not result in any major advances. Although the current partnership and cooperation agreement expires on 30 November (it will be extended by one year), little progress is expected on the launch of negotiations for a new agreement. Poland is still using its veto against opening talks because of a Russian embargo on Polish meat and it is too early to say whether the results of the recent elections will change this position. No joint declaration will be adopted at the end of what will be the final summit for Vladimir Putin as Russian President. He will be accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister, Sergey Lavrov. On the EU side, the Portuguese Prime Minister and President in office of the Council, José Socrates, the President of the European Commission, José-Manuel Barroso, and the EU High Representative for the CFSP, Javier Solana, as well as Commissioners Ferrero-Waldner and Mandelson, will be among those present at the Summit, the aim of which will be above all to restore trust (EUROPE 9530).
A large part of the agenda for the meeting on Friday will be devoted to examining the implementation of the four joint areas (economic; freedom, security and justice; external security; research, education and culture) and to international issues. “Our economic ties are increasing and the Russian Federation is already our third trade partner”, Mr Barroso said in a press release published on the eve of the Summit. “There are of course unsettled issues but we address them through a regular and open political dialogue”, he added, hoping that the Summit “will be an occasion to identify jointly the steps needed to take our cooperation further”. Above all, as the Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner said, “in the current situation it is important that we bear in mind our longer-term interests and the considerable potential of EU-Russia relations”.
There is no shortage of subjects for discussion on the international front, with the Middle East, Iran, Afghanistan and above all Kosovo high on the agenda. Although Russia and the EU are awaiting the outcome of the negotiations between Serbs and Kosovars of the province's status, Moscow has clearly indicated that in the absence of a negotiated solution which is acceptable to both parties, an extension of the discussions will be necessary. In particular for the cases of Moldova and the southern Caucasus, the EU will appeal for increased practical cooperation with Russia, recalling the importance of sovereignty and territorial integrity when resolving these frozen conflicts. Although it does not feature on the agenda, the issue of the American anti-missile system is likely to be mentioned during the discussions on security.
At the last summer, held in May in Samara, the EU Member States tackled head-on the issue of human rights in Russia and the atmosphere was tense (EUROPE 9429). On Wednesday 24 October, MEPs insisted once again that the EU demonstrate its firmness on such issues. Approaching the Russian parliamentary and presidential elections and given his popularity rating, it is nonetheless likely that Mr Putin will attach little importance to European criticisms of his record on human rights and fundamental freedoms. The EU will reaffirm its determination to commit to a strategic partnership with Russia, based on respect for common values, including human rights, democracy, the rule of law and the principles of market economics.
The Russian President is likely to react frostily to the Commission initiative to prevent third country enterprises taking control of energy distribution networks on EU territory (EUROPE 9505). An agreement on the energy issue is nonetheless planned, concerning the launch of a joint alert mechanism as part of the bilateral energy dialogue.
The EU and Russia are also likely to sign an agreement on trade in steel and an anti-drugs memorandum of understanding. This protocol to the agreement between the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and the Russian Federal Drugs Control Service aims to institute an exchange of information and technical expertise on the use of illegal drugs.
In the margins of the summit, Commissioner Jan Figel, who is responsible for education, training, culture and youth, and the culture ministers of Portugal, Isabel Pires de Lima, Slovenia, Vasko Simoniti, and Russia, Alexander Sokolov, adopted a joint declaration on Thursday 25 October in Lisbon highlighting the future priorities of their cultural cooperation. This was the first meeting of the Permanent Partnership Council on culture between the EU and Russia. The parties examined the roadmap on the common area for research, education and culture, stressing their desire to extend cooperation through a cultural action plan in the future which would include the achievement of common tangible objectives. This institutionalised cultural process kicked off in the wake of the Kajanni Conference held under the Finnish Presidency of the EU on 18-19 September 2006 (A.B./I.L.)