Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-10-27-Speech-3-195"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.19991027.7.3-195"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr Sasi has admirably summarised the results of last week’s European Union/Russia summit. As Parliament would expect, the summit was inevitably dominated by straight talking on Chechnya with the European Union, as the presidency indicated, pressing for de-escalation, for a return to political dialogue, for proportionality in the use of force to deal with terrorism and a solution to the humanitarian crisis.
Kaliningrad, as a future
inside the European Union, represents a particular challenge within the northern dimension. Partner countries to the northern dimension, including the European Union applicant countries neighbouring Kaliningrad, show increasing interest in cooperating on the issues raised by its unique situation. Already through Tacis and other European Union financial instruments the Commission is supporting the process of economic transition in Kaliningrad.
It was not an occasion on which we had a complete meeting of minds. How in the circumstances could it have been? But for all that I think it was a useful meeting and I very much hope that the Russian Prime Minister will reflect on all that we said, particularly perhaps on the northern Caucasus.
I would like to say a word about that and then concentrate briefly on two other issues that loomed large in our discussions: implementation of the partnership and cooperation agreement and European Union enlargement and the northern dimension.
Firstly, the Commission very much shares the deep concern of all Member States about the present situation in Chechnya. One of the immediate priorities, particularly as winter approaches, is to ensure humanitarian assistance for the tens of thousands of people displaced by the conflict. The Commission has decided in principle that ECHO could make available straight away EUR 1.2 million to help relieve the situation in Ingushetia and Dagestan. The Russians are open in principle to offers of humanitarian aid but we have still some way to go in discussions with them before European Union aid can be distributed.
Before we can go ahead we need further assurances from the Russian authorities on the security arrangements for international aid workers on the ground. There is too much recent history for us to avoid that important issue. We have also been pressing them to arrange for aid agencies to visit the area to assess the needs on the ground and I hope that this mission will now take place in the coming days.
Secondly, the Commission broadly welcomed progress on implementation of the partnership and cooperation agreement. Although naturally the summit did not go into the detail, there was a clear awareness of the importance of a strategic European Union/Russia partnership whatever the present difficulties. In this context, the economic cooperation initiatives that we have launched with Russia are, in general, developing well. For example, we are making significant progress in ensuring better protection of intellectual property rights. We have launched a major programme providing young Russian managers with periods of practical training in firms in the European Union.
Cooperation between experts is advancing in a number of other areas including the environment, coping with the millennium bug in Russia and the more efficient use of energy. By contrast bilateral trade relations and investment are not developing as well as the Commission would like. The European Union is rightly extending export opportunities for Russian companies in EU markets to boost the Russian economy. But there is unfortunately less progress in the other direction. We have repeatedly asked the Russian authorities to address the obstacles which stand in the way of European Union companies’ expansion in Russian markets. These include excessive certification and testing requirements, as well as specific concerns like the continued charges on international airlines to fly over Siberia. The decline in European Union exports to Russia since the financial crisis of August last year underlines the need for action in these areas. Minister Sasi indicated some of the things which are necessary in order to improve conditions for direct foreign investment.
Thirdly, Prime Minister Putin welcomed European Union enlargement as a force for political stability in Europe. The Russians are understandably taking a very close interest in the enlargement process and the European Union is ready to engage in a serious dialogue with them in the partnership and cooperation agreement framework. However, the Commission has always made clear that it would not be appropriate to set up a special mechanism or some form of trilateral consultations with the applicant countries as requested by Russia on various occasions.
In response to Russian worries about the economic impact of enlargement, President Prodi stressed the benefits in terms of lower tariffs and improved access to the markets of applicant countries. The benefits will be even greater if Russia can bring her technical norms and standards closer to those in the European Union, helping her to gain access more easily to the expanded commercial opportunities of the enlarged single market. A fundamental principle for the Commission is that enlargement should not create new dividing lines in Europe.
At the summit, Prime Minister Putin was very positive about the northern dimension. He said that he not only wanted cross-border zones but large areas of north-west Russia to be covered. We agreed that detailed proposals should be discussed at the Helsinki Conference in November."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
"enclave"1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples