Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-05-14-Speech-2-188"
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"en.20020514.10.2-188"2
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". – I am delighted that we are able to hold this debate in the presence of Mrs Hoff, whose excellent report I will return to a little later. I am sure that everyone is extremely pleased that she is with us this afternoon.
The Summit will also examine a progress report from the High Level Group on a common European economic space. This long-term initiative is meant to underpin Russia’s ongoing economic reforms and should help Russian companies to take advantage of the prosperity that European Union enlargement will bring. Against the backdrop of accession to the World Trade Organisation, cooperation with Russia should promote coherence between our respective legislative standards based on studies of the likely benefits for Russian industries.
The Summit will also look at a progress report on the energy dialogue, which moved into a more concrete phase at the Brussels Summit last October.
The presidency referred to the importance of the environment in our dialogue. We will, among other things, be pressing Russia to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, ideally before the UN Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development in September.
Let me to turn now to the question of Kaliningrad, which is rightly high on Parliament’s agenda, as demonstrated by Mrs Hoff’s excellent report and the visit on the ground by the parliamentary delegation for Russia in April last year. We will also take careful account of the opinion of the Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights drafted by Mr Oostlander.
We share Parliament’s view that, as part of Russia, Kaliningrad is essentially a Russian responsibility. We also believe that European Union enlargement is an opportunity from which Kaliningrad can greatly benefit, rather than a threat.
The Commission has made huge efforts to work with Russia on Kaliningrad, addressing both the impact of enlargement and future development policy as part of a comprehensive approach. We have made clear our willingness to increase financial and technical help to deal with the challenges faced by Kaliningrad, to facilitate cooperation between customs and immigration authorities in Russia, Lithuania and Poland, and to address the movement of persons and transit issues by exploring the flexibility permitted by the Schengen acquis.
Under excellent leadership from the Spanish presidency, Member States have recently confirmed that we cannot derogate from the Schengen acquis, nor undermine the enlargement negotiations themselves. Visa-free transit corridors are not acceptable to the applicant countries. I hope Russia will accept this and work with us to make border crossing – which is the real impediment to progress – quicker and easier. Efforts are needed from both sides since we need to agree on how to take forward some key issues before further assistance can be offered. In this context, we shall be looking for progress on a readmission agreement and improved cooperation on border management. We also hope that Russia will make easier the establishment of consulates in Kaliningrad and in mainland Russia, and ensure that those who live in Kaliningrad are issued with passports that conform with international standards. We hope that the special meeting of the Cooperation Committee tomorrow in Kaliningrad can make further progress on these issues with a view to the Moscow Summit.
I would also like to say a few words on human rights and democratic principles where we continue to have concerns regarding the rule of law and media freedom. The Summit will provide a further opportunity to underline the benefits for Russia of improving her image in these areas and our willingness to support the development of democratic institutions through Tacis.
The situation in Chechnya remains hugely worrying and reports of human rights violations during so-called "mopping up" operations have not, unfortunately, stopped. Our position remains simple and clear. We condemn terrorism world-wide, including in Chechnya. Our calls for a political solution which, without prejudice to the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation, satisfies the majority of the Chechen people, does not undermine our support for the fight against terrorism everywhere. We will also continue to raise with Russia the issue of operating conditions for the delivery of humanitarian aid. In spite of difficult security conditions on the ground, we demand concrete improvements to facilitate the conduct of humanitarian operations according to basic safety and efficiency standards. In parallel, we will insist that any repatriation of Chechen displaced persons should only take place on a voluntary and unconditional basis.
Finally, we also intend to make progress in the field of crisis management and conflict prevention. Against the background of our efforts to establish closer political and economic relations, the European Union has made clear to Russia that it expects her to act in full accordance with the values she committed herself to respect when entering the Council of Europe and the OSCE. These basic principles constitute an integral part of the strategic partnership that we are trying to build together.
I would like to focus first on the wider issue of the EU-Russia Summit in Moscow at the end of the month. As the presidency has said, this Summit will mark the culmination of an intense schedule of high-level meetings between the European Union and the Russian Federation and it comes at a historic moment in relations between Russia and the West, with the Russia-Nato Summit in Rome at the end of the month.
This is a defining period in anchoring Russia firmly in the community of democratic nations. Against the backdrop of Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organisation and the agreement on a new format for cooperation between Russia and NATO, we are confident that the EU-Russia Summit in Moscow will bring our bilateral partnership one step forward, rendering our cooperation more concrete and effective. The Commission is ready to continue to play an active part in this process. I am confident that the European Parliament will continue to make a very valuable contribution as well.
I want to make one final, simple point. We share so much with Russia: much geography and, in some respects, too much history. The only sensible option for both of us is to make our relationship work as successfully as possible: economically, socially and politically. This is a really significant strategic partnership – a partnership enhanced by enlargement. Perhaps we still have some of the ghosts of the past to lay to rest; ancient suspicions to bury once and for all. But the view of the Commission is that we should do all we can to make this partnership work and work well. There is no other sensible option. But a partnership involves traffic in both directions: it involves give and take and understanding the other side’s point of view. We understand that, and I am sure our Russian colleagues will come to understand that as well.
I will not repeat all the important meetings which the presidency has referred to, but we welcomed in particular Prime Minister Kasyanov's visit to the Commission on 24 April, and the meeting of European Union Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs with their Russian counterparts was exceptionally important.
A special Cooperation Committee is taking place in Kaliningrad this week precisely to discuss all the Kaliningrad-related issues. And we continue to hold discussions on crisis management and conflict resolution on a monthly basis with the Russian ambassador to the European Union.
But what about content? Is the intense programme of EU-Russia meetings making progress? My answer is yes, albeit slowly. There is still a lot that both we and Russia need to do to become reliable strategic partners. But we can also welcome many changes that are taking place in Russia radically to reform the legal system, the economy, the military and the administration.
Allow me to comment briefly – I will not cover all the ground covered by the presidency – on the main issues that will be discussed at the Summit.
We are satisfied with the way relations are developing in the field of ESDP, in which Russia is a natural key partner. Our message to Russia, however, is that security and defence policy needs to be seen as part of our broader political dialogue that also covers some of the present "frozen conflicts" in Europe, notably Transdniestria, which is a source of tremendous instability for Moldova, a future European Union neighbour.
As regards the World Trade Organisation, we will reaffirm our political support for Russia’s accession. But we will not be shy in defending our interests, as in any trade negotiation. As Russia’s main trading partner, the European Union will play a key role in defining the entry standards in the Geneva negotiations. From our perspective, the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement is the point of departure, and Russia must, at least, go beyond the concessions already made in it.
Turning to the related issue of Russia’s demand to be treated as a market economy in anti-dumping procedures, the Commission has already submitted a proposal to the Council that will improve the position of Russian companies, and we are looking at whether there is more we can do to meet their concerns. As the presidency said, it was a subject that we were able to discuss with Mr Kasyanov. We hope that in return Russia will be able to respond to our proposals, notably concerning double energy pricing, and the adoption of a conciliation system under the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement to help ensure trade disputes are tackled in an objective, efficient and non-politicised manner."@en1
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