Brussels, 25/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - The EU-Russia summit to be held in Khanti-Manssisk (Siberia) on 26-27 June will be unusual in several respects. Firstly, because it will allow the EU delegation, comprising European Council President Janez Jansa, High Representative Javier Solana, Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Commissioners Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Peter Mandelson, to meet new Russian President Dmitri Medvedev for the first time and to hear his ideas and views on the future of relations with the EU. Secondly, because the summit will give the official green light to negotiations on a new and wide-ranging strategic partnership agreement to replace the current partnership and cooperation agreement. Technical negotiations will only begin in a few days' time (most probably in early July), but by giving their political blessing to the opening of talks at the summit, Russian and European leaders will put an end to a long period of waiting and tension between Brussels and Moscow resulting from the internal difficulties EU member states had in reaching agreement on a negotiating mandate (with objections first from Poland and then Lithuania).
The EU wants the new strategic partnership agreement to cover all the areas of bilateral cooperation, including negotiation of a free trade agreement. The European side is also insisting on the inclusion of a wide-ranging energy chapter with shared rules based on the principles of the Energy Charter (which Moscow has signed but not ratified). The EU would also like to develop closer relations in the area of freedom, security and justice, and mutual opening up of the educational and scientific systems. Russia, however, is thinking more of a not too detailed framework agreement, President Medvedev hinted this week. “It must be a serious document but at the same time not burdened with absolutely concrete things; to a large degree it should be a framework agreement that will set out the basic positions for development in the years ahead,” he said in an interview with Reuters.
The two sides will take stock of progress on the creation of four “common spaces” between the EU and Russia: common economic space, common security, liberty and justice space, common external security space and common research and education space. Bilateral negotiations taking place on Russia's accession to the WTO will also be discussed (in particular, the issue of taxes raised on the export of Russian timber).
The summit will consider, too, issues of global concern, such as the stability of financial markets, sovereign wealth funds, climate change and global warming, energy security and the soaring price of food. “This will be an opportunity for the EU and Russia to compare assessments of and approaches to these developments, as well as to see what scope there might be to work together more closely,” the Commission said in a press release.
Leaders will also debate a series of external policy issues, including the Middle East, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Iran, Ukraine, Georgia and their common neighbourhood. (H.B./transl.rt)