Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-05-09-Speech-3-071"
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"en.20070509.12.3-071"2
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"Mr President, ‘Moscow is being obstructive because it can afford to be’ was the headline of a recent article in a well-known Dutch newspaper, and it is true: we are being messed about! During our recent visit in Moscow, I was reminded of the fact that while Europe has its truth, the Russians deliver their own truth, bolstered, among others, by the Union’s incapacity to speak clearly with one voice, as a result of which we come across as diffident and even divided.
We appear to be gradually casting aside the role as an example which we in the EU could have. Nobody is doing that for us; we are doing it entirely on our own. Mr Putin, backed by his country’s fast growing economy, is cashing in on this. He turns the EU into a caricature when it suits him. Russia is once again a force to be reckoned with, and the EU should know it. Russia is being provocative.
The list of controversial issues, which have all been mentioned, is growing, and includes the American plans for a rocket shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, Mr Putin’s announcement of his intention to suspend the disarmament treaty, major international issues such as Kosovo, but also the Middle East and Sudan, energy policy as a geopolitical instrument, the democratic deficit, the violation of human rights, Chechnya, and of course we should not forget the crisis in Estonia and the import ban on Polish meat. Finally, there is sovereignty of third countries. The list is growing, and so is the level of distrust.
Whilst the wishes and expectations are varied, increasing mutual dependence and Russia’s closeness turn the setting of priorities into a necessity. It is of crucial importance in this respect – and this is at the same time an express appeal to the Council President – for the EU to retain its internal unanimity. We should not give Russia the opportunity to turn the EU into a caricature. We should put our own house in order. Only then can the Union adopt effective and firm policy in respect of that country."@en1
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