Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-06-18-Speech-1-141"
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"en.20070618.16.1-141"2
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".
Madam President, the EU’s diverse relations with Russia are about to intensify: one only need look at the trade volume, the economic data and the investments – both by the West in the East and the other way round. Russia is our neighbour, it is about to join the WTO, it is a major energy supplier to the EU. All these are reason enough to draw up a report on the subject and get to the heart of the matter: where do we stand and where do we want to go?
In this regard, I should like to emphasise a few points in particular. Firstly, it cannot be said that democracy, human rights, the rule of law or the freedom of the press in Russia have made progress in recent times. I had initially thought it would be possible to write a report that was more oriented towards practical politics; but we in the committee found – and I thank my colleagues for their support – that we did have to analyse some things critically. Russia is a member of the Council of Europe and, as such, has subscribed to a good many things and, in particular, promised to ensure democratic conditions. I believe that the country needs reminding of these commitments.
EU–Russia relations are currently in a difficult phase, as recent events have demonstrated time after time. I should like to quote Commissioner Mandelson, who said that the psychological legacy of the fall of the Soviet Union and the associated loss of superpower status were a great burden. What we celebrated as the triumph of freedom was seen differently in Russia. Russia’s political leadership has yet to learn how to deal properly with recent history. At the same time, however, it is true that the EU and Russia are dependent on each other. We need Russian gas and oil and, in turn, Russia’s economy depends largely on its energy exports. In addition, the Russian economy is in urgent need of foreign direct investment to enable its continued growth in future. The EU is by far its largest customer, and is also the main source of foreign direct investment in Russia. As such, we can expect our trade relations with this large country to be governed by the rule of law, reliability and predictability.
How should the EU act in this situation? It is very important that the European Union adopt a common line and speak with one voice. If it agrees something with one of our Member States or fails to keep to an agreement, Russia is acting illegally towards the whole European Union. We cannot close our eyes to this.
Now for my second point: Russia must create a better investment climate for European enterprises – not by changing its laws, but by better applying and, in particular, better enforcing these laws. The Russian legislation on intellectual property must be harmonised with international agreements.
One important point in our relations with Russia is the Energy Charter. Russia has signed it, but does not feel bound by it; which is regrettable. Without abandoning the Energy Charter, the EU should attempt to anchor the important elements of the Charter in the new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. It is to be hoped that the negotiations on this agreement will start shortly.
On the subject of Russia’s WTO membership, we realise that it is also in the interests of the EU that Russia become a member. This would mean Russia’s being subject to a whole sheaf of international obligations; which, in turn, would help make Russia a fully committed economic and trading partner rather than one that is able to cherry-pick. We should not accept this at all costs, however. In short, in spite of the dark side, we can look ahead to the future with optimism and confidence."@en1
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