Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-10-22-Speech-3-131"
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"en.20031022.6.3-131"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, relations between the European Union and Russia have improved, but not enough. It is worth remembering that almost 40% of Russia’s exports come to the European Union. Just 6% go to the United States of America. Now it is estimated that after enlargement that figure will rise to 60%. At the same time, the Union’s dependence on Russia’s resources is growing: that would seem the prospect for natural gas, for example, in the next decade. It is in Russia too that economic growth these days is fastest in the world.
The Russian President has set two objectives in his election campaign: firstly, to create a strong central power based on the rule of law, and secondly to extend economic growth to the vast sections of Russia’s population who are poor. It is in the European Union’s interests that Russia is able to solve its huge problems, from its wide-scale poverty to human rights, freedom of the media and the war in Chechnya. We want to see that economic, political and cultural cooperation can also help us to have an impact on Russia’s problems.
We have also had a taste of Russian isolation. In its time it was a gift to Stalin, who pulled down the shutters and began having his own people killed. Now it is important that civil society in Russia, now in its infancy, has our support. This is precisely what many Russians are hoping to obtain from us. Let us not leave them just to get on with it! The Russian leadership claims they often listen to the messages coming from the Union more carefully than they do each other.
These aims will serve to allow Russia to join the World Trade Organisation as soon as possible. The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement should be reviewed to correspond with today’s needs.
Regarding Chechnya, I would say that the elections were problematic, as previous ones have also been, and the Community has been unable to accept them. We propose that there should be an international conference and arbitration with regard to this matter and also that relief organisations should be allowed access to the region promptly."@en1
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