| Author (Person) | Thomson, Ian |
|---|---|
| Publisher | ProQuest Information and Learning |
| Series Title | In Focus |
| Series Details | 19.5.01 |
| Publication Date | 19/05/2001 |
| Content Type | News, Overview, Topic Guide | In Focus |
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The seventh EU-Russia Summit, following the entry into force of the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement in 1997, took place in Moscow on the 17 May 2001. The Summit was an opportunity for the two sides to reaffirm the importance of strengthening a long-term strategic partnership based upon the principles of democracy, respect for human rights, rule of law and the market economy. The Summit followed a meeting between President Putin and the Heads of State and Government of the European Union on the fringes of the European Council in Stockholm on 23 March 2001. Background In the 1950s and 1960s the old Soviet bloc roundly criticised the European integration process as an instrument of American capitalism and the European Community seen as the economic foundation for the development of NATO. There were regular predictions from the Soviet Union that the contradictions of capitalism would lead to the collapse of the EC. However, as the years passed, the realisation that the European integration process was advancing at a steady rate led to a reassessment. Commentators interpreted a remark by President Brezhnev in 1972 on the realities of Europe as an implicit recognition that the EC was here to stay. In 1973 initial contacts took place between the EC and the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA, sometimes called COMECON). These initial contacts led to nothing of substance as the two sides disagreed as to what should be achieved. The Soviet Union wanted a substantial EC-CMEA basic agreement, while the EC wanted only a framework agreement between the two organisations, and to negotiate detailed trade and co-operation agreements with the individual Member States of the CMEA. It was only in the 1980s after the coming to power of President Gorbachev in the Soviet Union that serious exchanges began. One of the major factors in the growing rapprochement was the need for the Soviet Union, and also its Eastern bloc neighbours, to develop more extensive economic relations with the countries of EC to help their own struggling economies. In June 1988 a Joint Declaration was signed in Luxembourg between the EC and the CMEA marking a mutual formal recognition between the two organisations (Official Journal L157, 24.6.88, p35). During the negotiations leading up to the Joint Declaration the European Commission had insisted that the EC should be allowed to develop relations with the individual countries of Eastern Europe. The CMEA countries accepted the policy of 'parallel normalisation' in 1986 and during the next two years parallel negotiations were conducted with a number of CMEA members. In June 1988 the Soviet Union (along with other Eastern bloc countries) announced the decision to accredit diplomatic missions to the Community. A trade and commercial and economic co-operation agreement was concluded with the Soviet Union in December 1989 (Official Journal L68, 15.3.90, p3) Relations between the EC, the Soviet Union and the other countries of the Eastern bloc were thus already developing before the dramatic events of 1989. However the events of the second half of that year transformed the situation and raised a whole series of new questions and issues about the relations between the EC and its neighbours to the east. This In Focus feature concentates on the development of relations between the EC/EU and the Soviet Union/Russian Federation. While the EC quickly moved into the business of helping the reconstruction of the countries of Eastern and Central Europe through such initiatives as the PHARE programme, there was an initial reluctance to extend this assistance to the Soviet Union. However, at the European Council in Dublin in June 1990 the European Commission was asked to prepare proposals covering short-term credits and longer-term support for economic structural reform. The major step forward in relations between the European Union and the Russian Federation was the signing in 1994 of a Partnership and Co-operation Agreement (PCA), which came into force in 1997. The objectives of the PCA are:
Separate PCAs have been signed with many of the republics of the former Soviet Union. The PCA with Russia has led to intensified relations between the EU and the Russian Federation since 1997 under the following headings:
The EU's TACIS programme of technical assistance is a central aspect of the implementation of the PCA agreement. Through this programme, and others, the EU is the largest provider of economic and technical assistance to Russia. A further major development was the adoption in June 1999 of a Common Strategy between the European Union and Russia. 'Common Strategies' are a new EU mechanism established by the Treaty of Amsterdam, 1997 to ensure co-ordination of all activities of the European Union and its Member States with third countries. The Common Strategy with Russia was the first time this new device has been used and aims to combine EU and Member State actions in the following areas:
Each EU Presidency sets out a work plan for the implementation of the common strategy. The current Swedish EU Presidency (January-June 2001) work plan is available. Priorities include:
The European Union's relations with Russia will also be further developed in the context of the Northern Dimension Action Plan, especially in regard to the environment and nuclear safety, the fight against organised crime, and the situation of Kaliningrad, June 2002. The EU represents Russia's largest trade partner, accounting for 36.7&percent; of Russia's imports and 33.2&percent; of its export trade. Fuel and other primary products forms the bulk of Russian exports to the EU, while finished industrial products form the bulk of exports from the EU to Russia. There is a marked trade imbalance in favour of Russia, due to the substantial export of fuel to the EU. The election of Vladimir Putin as President of the Russian Federation in March 2000 has further helped the development of relations between the EU and the Russian Federation. While relations between Russia and the United States are still extremely important there is a discernible Russian tactic to build up closer co-operation with the EU for political, economic and security reasons. An Historically, culturally and, increasingly, economically Russia is close to Europe, However, there are counter trends. Many Russians don't feel that the West generally should be too closely embraced and have been suspicious of the expansion of NATO to include some of the countries of the former Eastern bloc. Russia is also sensitive to western criticism of its actions in Chechnya and on issues such as the freedom of the media. EU-Russia Summit, Moscow, 17 May 2001 While no formal decisions were taken at the 7th EU-Russia Summit in Moscow a Joint Statement issued after the meeting suggested a considerable degree of convergence on a range of issues. We, the leaders of the Russian Federation and the European Union, having assembled in Moscow for the seventh Summit since the entry into force of the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement (PCA), reaffirm the special importance that we attach to the strengthening of our long-term strategic partnership based on the principles of democracy, respect for human rights, rule of law and market economy. Our aim is to foster economic growth and prosperity, social development, a clean environment and strengthened security and stability in Europe, on the basis of shared values. Since the last EU-Russia Summit in Paris 30 October 2000, we have further developed and intensified our dialogue and co-operation. This has allowed us to concentrate our common agenda on a number of key priorities. These include dialogue and cooperation on security issues, stimulating trade and investment, developing cooperation in the context of the energy dialogue, reinforcing our dialogue on Justice and Home Affairs and strengthening our cooperation on environment and nuclear safety as well as in the field of science and technology. The meeting in Stockholm on 23 March 2001 between the Heads of State and Government of the European Union and the President of the Russian Federation provided a new dimension to our dialogue at the highest level. European Commission Prodi was said to have encouraged the Russians to use the Euro in international trade and its reserves, instead of the US dollar.Certain commentators have begun to discuss the issue as to whether Russia should seek eventually to join the European Union: while for some on both sides that is not a realistic or desirable prospect, the intensification of relations, it has been suggested, should lead to a more informal concept such as a 'common European space' and serious attempts by Russia to align such features as technical standards with the EU. Further information within European Sources Online: European Sources Online: Topic Guide: European Sources Online: European Voice Further information can be seen in these external links: Sweden: EU Presidency website European Commission: DG External Relations European Commission: Press and Communication Service: RAPID Further Press Release and related sources can be found by a search. Insert 'Russia' in the keywords field and choose the date period to be covered. Council of the European Union North Atlantic Treaty Organisation BBC News FT.com The Guardian (To find full text of article use 'Advanced search' on homepage.) Program of New Approaches to Russian Security (PONARS) Further and subsequent information on the subject of this In Focus can be found by an 'Advanced Search' in European Sources Online by inserting 'Russia' in the keyword field. Ian Thomson Background and reporting on the week's main stories in the European Union and the wider Europe. |
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| Countries / Regions | Russia |
