Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-11-11-Speech-3-113"
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"en.20091111.16.3-113"2
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"Madam President, as you just said, the summit between the EU and Russia will take place in Stockholm on 18 November. It is a good opportunity for the EU to evaluate relations between ourselves and Russia. I know that many Members here in Parliament are following developments in Russia very closely. I would therefore like to present the main issues that we intend to discuss during the summit, and I am sure that the Commissioner would like to add more details about the areas relating to the Commission’s sphere of responsibility.
With regard to foreign policy and security issues, we will emphasise the importance of maintaining and improving the dialogue concerning the immediate vicinity that we share. We need to cooperate with Russia on this if we are to be able to make progress in achieving a peaceful solution to long drawn-out conflicts. Obviously, we will not deviate from our fundamental principles.
We will raise the matter of Georgia and reiterate that Russia must fully honour its commitments under the six-point plan laid down on 12 August and, subsequently, the agreement of 8 September 2008. We must also regain the necessary trust with regard to Akhalgori, Upper Kodori and the checkpoint in Perevi. We will also call on Russia to use its influence to grant the EU Monitoring Mission access to the Georgian areas of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in accordance with its country-wide mandate. The summit will also give us the opportunity to assess progress made at the Geneva talks, and in this regard, we expect Russia to continue its committed approach.
We realise that we need to cooperate with Russia with regard to the so-called frozen conflicts in Transnistria and Nagorno-Karabakh. We will stress the importance of a continued commitment to the conflict settlement mechanisms, these being the Minsk Group and the ‘5+2’ format in Transnistria.
Russia’s active commitment to promoting dialogue between the Armenian and the Azerbaijan presidents in the Nagorno-Karabakh matter is, of course, welcome. However, we will also point out to Russia the importance of involving the Minsk Group in all stages of the process. The EU is prepared to get involved in and support the Minsk Process, among other things, through measures to promote trust. The summit should express its support for the ratification and implementation of the new protocols between Armenia and Turkey. Other matters in this area relate to the Euro-Atlantic Security Partnership and the Eastern Partnership.
With regard to Euro-Atlantic Security, we will urge Russia to take an active part in the Corfu Process prior to a forward-looking decision being taken in Athens. The summit should ask for Russia’s confirmation that it supports the fundamental principles of the process, in other words, complete respect for and implementation of the regulations of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), that the OSCE is the main forum for debate on the Corfu Process, and the fact that all aspects of the overarching security strategy should be dealt with in a balanced way.
As far as the EU is concerned, we are willing to inform Russia of all incidents relating to the Eastern Partnership and reiterate that third countries may, on a case-by-case basis, be entitled to take part, in accordance with the joint declaration in Prague of May 2009. The summit will also allow us to raise a number of international and regional issues. I think it is extremely likely that issues such as Iran, Afghanistan/Pakistan, the South Caucasus and, of course, the Middle East will be raised.
Madam President, honourable Members, I have talked for quite a long time, but I know that you are very committed to this matter. It is an important summit with a lot of items on the agenda and I look forward to hearing your views and suggestions when we make the final preparations ahead of this meeting.
In general, clearly we want to use the summit to develop the strategic partnership between the EU and Russia. We have a lot to gain from cooperation with Russia in all areas. We need Russia if we are to be able to deal with the global challenges effectively. However, we must also make it clear to Russia that our partnership must be based on respect for a common commitment and common values. That means respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The summit will give us the opportunity to exert pressure on Russia to fulfil its contractual obligations in these areas and in other areas, too.
One of the most important issues will be climate change. The Council will emphasise the fact that close cooperation between the EU and Russia is important to enable us to achieve a result in Copenhagen. Russia should promise tangible and comparable reductions in its emissions of greenhouse gases, corresponding to the two-degree target that the G8 agreed on in L’Aquila.
The energy issue is linked to this – it is a matter of energy efficiency and energy security. With regard to Russia’s position as the EU’s most important energy partner, the summit will give us the opportunity to emphasise the need to regain trust and transparency in relations between the EU and Russia in the area of energy. We will also express our disappointment over Russia’s recent withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty.
We hope that a stronger early warning mechanism will be established and approved at the summit. This should be accompanied by clear guarantees from Russia and separately from other relevant third countries that the transit or export of gas to the EU will not be reduced or stopped in the event of future energy disputes.
We will, of course, discuss the economic and financial crisis. The Council would like an agreement at the summit on the need for continued, coordinated efforts as a response to the crisis and confirms that we will insist on our economies being open and on the necessity to avoid protectionist measures. The summit will also give us the chance to assess the progress made in our work relating to the four common spaces. We will use the opportunity to stress the importance of making progress in the areas where it is needed or where problems have arisen.
Russia’s change in position with regard to the World Trade Organisation has created a new situation that we are in the process of analysing. Delays in Russia’s WTO accession will affect our bilateral relations, including with regard to the negotiations for a new agreement between the EU and Russia. We will reiterate our support for Russia’s accession to the WTO, and this is important for Russia’s integration in the world economy.
In the meantime, we need to work on the remaining trade and economic problems, for example, the Siberian overflight fees, measures at the border that hamper the importation of commercial vehicles into Russia, the discriminatory road taxes, plans to limit the import of containers by road, export duties on timber and the protectionist measures Russia has recently taken.
I am very well aware of the great concern that the European Parliament has about the human rights situation in Russia. Evidence of this can be seen, in particular, in your decision to award this year’s Sakharov Prize to human rights defenders in Russia. The Swedish Presidency shares your concern and we will ensure that human rights issues will have a prominent place in discussions at the summit. Of course, we welcome President Medvedev’s statement on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, but this must be followed by concrete actions. The human rights situation in Russia is disturbing. We will highlight, in particular, the most recent events in the North Caucasus, which has been the scene of violence against human rights defenders, crime prevention personnel, representatives of the authorities and the population at large. It is particularly worrying that human rights defenders and journalists have been killed, not only in the North Caucasus, but also in Russia as a whole. We will therefore reiterate our appeal to Russia to do its utmost to ensure that human rights defenders can carry out their work without having to live in fear of violence, harassment or threats."@en1
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