| Series Title | European Voice |
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| Series Details | Vol.10, No.14, 22.4.04 |
| Publication Date | 22/04/2004 |
| Content Type | News |
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Date: 22/04/04 THE EU-Russia face-off over extending Moscow's accord with the Union to the new member states is set to be resolved next week, European Voice has learned. A pledge to allow easy access of goods from Kaliningrad into the EU should pave the way for Russia to extend the accord underpinning its ties with the Union to the ten incoming member states. Concerns had been expressed that the EU's relations with Russia would deteriorate if Moscow carried out a threat not to recognize that the partnership and cooperation agreement (PCA) covered the countries joining the Union on 1 May. While EU officials felt extending the PCA should be a mere formality, the Kremlin has dithered on doing so, citing reports that ethnic Russians in the Baltic states face serious discrimination. But diplomats believe the Russians will lift their objections at a meeting in Luxembourg next Tuesday (27 April). It is anticipated this step will be taken in return for a declaration that goods transported from Russia's Baltic enclave Kaliningrad into the EU would not be subject to onerous customs barriers. A Russian diplomat said Moscow wants a deal for goods that would be similar to the free movement for people provisions contained in an accord reached at a November 2002 EU-Russia summit. This allowed the 950,000 inhabitants of Kaliningrad to cross into neighbouring Lithuania using transit documents, rather than expensive visas. EU officials say Russia's eagerness to secure EU support for its efforts to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) have been instrumental in its willingness to ensure that the uncertainty over the PCA's future ceases. As a result, the Russians are not expected to make too big an issue of minority rights for their kinfolk in Latvia and Estonia next week. "This is the kind of thing that remains open until the very last minute," said an EU external relations official. "But the pressure on Russia is quite high. The Russians want support for joining the WTO and they know that if they take their wish-list too far on this kind of issue, it will be counterproductive." The PCA, which came into effect in 1997, covers all EU-Russia cooperation - from space research to fighting drug-trafficking. |
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| Source Link | http://www.european-voice.com/ |
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| Countries / Regions | Russia |
