Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-06-18-Speech-1-171"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20070618.16.1-171"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
".
Madam President, I should like to thank the honourable Members for their comments and the interesting debate. I have taken good note of what you said and I will convey your message to my colleague Mr Mandelson for his consideration. I am sure that he, like me, will be impressed by the high degree of consensus in this House.
At the most recent summit, a decision was taken to establish an early-warning mechanism. This can help make EU-Russia energy dialogue more operational. Energy will obviously have an important place in the new EU-Russia agreement.
As President Putin assured us at the last summit, Russia respects the key principles of the Energy Charter Treaty and we expect them to be reflected in the new agreement.
Mrs Oomen-Ruijten asked about developments in Russian investment law. I have to make it clear that this is at present a draft law, covering strategic sectors of the economy. The Commission is following the developments closely. We will soon start an investment dialogue with Russia and we will be able to discuss this with you further.
Finally, on the question of the rule of law, human rights and democracy, I can assure you that the Commission will continue to press the importance of respect for common values and will ensure that the new agreement also reflects these values.
In conclusion, I should like to thank the rapporteur once again for an excellent report. We will take it into account as much as possible in our work with Russia.
Rather than going into detail on the different points raised this evening, I should like to say the following. It is true that many problems exist and our relations are complex. However, this is not surprising given the enormous depth and breadth of cooperation between the Russian Federation and the EU.
In spite of a number of difficult issues, we should not forget that our cooperation with Russia is very successful on many issues. I have already referred to the example of competition policy, where we have established good cooperation, and we have made good progress in aligning our regulatory systems. There are many other examples that I could refer to.
At the same time, it is also clear that we need to tackle the challenges in our relations. We want to work actively with Russia to find solutions to the outstanding issues and we need constructive engagement: only an active dialogue with the Russian side, including on the difficult issues, will allow us to find solutions that are in our mutual interest.
Several Members asked when the EU will be ready to start negotiations on the new agreement. Negotiations on the new agreement will take place as soon as we have the mandate from the Member States. The Commission is working actively with the Presidency, the Member States and Russia to overcome the remaining difficulties.
We and Russia have an interest in a new EU-Russia agreement to replace the existing Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, as our relationship with Russia has developed over the last decade. A new agreement would take relations to a new level and enable them to reach their full potential. However, there is no time pressure: the present Partnership and Cooperation Agreement remains in force and the ‘common spaces’ roadmap provides us with a substantial agenda for the short and medium term. There will be no legal vacuum.
Mrs Foltyn-Kubicka and Mr Seppänen mentioned Polish meat. The Commission is working with Poland and Russia for the lifting of the Russian ban on imports of Polish meat and plant products. We have been very active at all levels to demonstrate to Russia that Poland fully complies with EU legislation and EU-Russia documents concerning veterinary and phytosanitary issues and that the bans should therefore be lifted. Discussions will certainly continue.
Mrs Budreikaitė and Mr Paleckis raised the question of the Druzhba pipeline. The Lithuanian Government has raised this issue. The Commission has kept in close contact with the Russian Energy Minister, Mr Kristenko, and we are urging the Russian authorities to provide Lithuania with full information on the state of the pipeline so that a satisfactory solution can be found.
Several Members spoke more generally about EU-Russia energy relations. Energy is an area which demonstrates our interdependence. Russia needs European markets, investment and know-how just as much as Europe needs Russian oil and gas. We continue to believe that the Energy Charter Treaty offers a good multilateral framework for international trade and investment in energy."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples