Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-06-08-Speech-3-670-000"
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"en.20110608.26.3-670-000"2
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"Mr President, honourable Members, I am grateful for this opportunity to discuss with you the next European Union-Russia Summit which will start tomorrow in Nizhny Novgorod. The European Union will be represented by the Presidents of the European Council and the Commission. High Representative and Vice-President Ashton will attend, as will Commissioner De Gucht.
Fourth: we will promote human rights and the rule of law in Russia, and
Fifth, we will encourage Russia to deepen cooperation in our common neighbourhood and continue the dialogue on other topical international issues like the Middle East, for example, or North Africa. In fact, progress on Moldova/Transnistria will serve as an important test case for closer foreign policy cooperation.
Finally, we should also use the summit to reconfirm our political commitment to make progress on crisis management cooperation – provided our decision-making autonomy is in no way affected.
Energy also figures prominently in our dealings with Moscow. We will emphasise the need for further reforms in the Russian electricity and gas sector with a view to establishing a level playing field. We will also underline the need to cooperate on fighting climate change.
To pursue our goals of highest standards on nuclear safety, we interact with Russia both at the bilateral level and in multilateral fora such as the International Atomic Energy Agency and the G8.
We will repeat our invitation to Russia to engage in negotiations on a comprehensive Euratom-Russia agreement which should promote the highest standards for nuclear safety. With regard to the Fukushima accident, the European Union will push for equivalence of approaches regarding stress tests for both existing and planned nuclear power plants.
Last, but certainly not least, we have engaged in a clear process on visa-free travel. The European Union has prepared and agreed in March its proposal for the list of common steps towards the possible establishment of a visa-free travel regime, and we have indeed started negotiations in April. Since then, a Permanent Partnership Council on Justice and Home Affairs has been held and clear progress has been made. But negotiations on our common steps at expert level are, to date, not finished. We must be clear at the summit that there are no political short-cuts.
As far as Russia is concerned, its main objectives for the summit can be expected to focus on visas, the WTO, energy – including nuclear safety – and security cooperation. Russia might come back to the idea of a new Political and Security Committee at ministerial level. We believe that necessary cooperation structures are in place; what we need is political will to make progress on substance.
Thank you for your attention and I look forward to your comments.
The summit has been carefully prepared by the External Action Service working in close cooperation with the Commission and the two Presidents, preparations built on the debates held in the European Council and the Council, on Russia as a Strategic Partner in late 2010 and in January 2011, on the results of the previous EU-Russia Summit, and the visit by the Russian Government to the Commission in February.
Overall, our relations have improved over the last two years. We have concluded bilateral negotiations on Russian WTO accession, agreed on the approach towards a possible future visa-waiver regime, and agreed the Partnership for Modernisation, which is now in its implementation phase.
Work is also ongoing in the regular framework of the Four Common Spaces and all its technical dialogues. Our interaction is quite intense. Let me remind you that Russia is the only external partner with whom the European Union holds two annual summits. The visit by Prime Minister Putin and an unprecedentedly large Russian Government delegation to the Commission on 24 February was a clear sign of Russian determination to seek closer relations and cooperation.
Nevertheless, many significant bilateral issues remain unresolved. Of particular concern is the situation regarding democratic development and human rights in Russia. In the context of upcoming Duma and Presidential elections, the standards of the electoral process will receive particular attention.
Now I would like to turn your attention to our main objectives for the summit, which are as follows:
First: the European Union will strive to encourage Russia to resolve the last remaining outstanding multilateral issues to facilitate WTO accession before the end of 2011, building on the EU-Russia bilateral agreement reached in 2004 and last December. Russia can still achieve WTO accession before the end of 2011 if it can take the necessary decisions to resolve the handful of outstanding issues at multilateral level. The summit cannot replace negotiations in Geneva, but it can urge Russia to take constructive action.
Second: the European Union will impress upon Russia that more progress needs to be made on agreeing substantial trade and investment provisions, including on energy, in the new EU-Russia Agreement in order to provide a solid legal basis for deepened economic cooperation in the years to come. We do not rule out bringing the issue of Russia’s unjustified ban on European Union vegetable imports to summit level, although we hope that scientific evidence will allow a quick solution at an expert level.
Third: we shall maintain top-level support for the Partnership for Modernisation as an important vehicle for Russian commitments to reforms."@en1
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