| Author (Person) | Bower, Helen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Publisher | ProQuest Information and Learning | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Title | In Focus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Details | 2.6.03 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publication Date | 02/06/2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content Type | News, Overview, Topic Guide | In Focus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, has once again called for visa-free travel for Russians in the EU's Member States following the next enlargement in 2004, at the 11th EU-Russia summit in St. Petersburg on 31 May 2003. Heads of state and government leaders from 28 EU current and future Member States gathered in St Petersburg amidst celebrations of the city's 300th anniversary. The Russian President re-enforced Russian demands for visa free travel in Europe and called for more in-depth discussions on the issue at the next EU-Russia summit to be held in Rome, under the Italian Presidency, in the second half of 2003. Russia used to enjoy free travel arrangements with most of the candidate members and is therefore keen to establish a visa free regime rather than face EU-wide visa regulations but the EU is concerned about the potential for drugs-trafficking and other cross-border crime. The conflict in Iraq was the other main issue on the agenda as Russia sought reconciliation with the coalition members and both parties discussed ways forward in the reconstruction of the country. The road map to peace in the Middle East was the other key international issue on the agenda. Described by some EU diplomats as a 'holding operation', few concrete decisions were made at the summit and discussions steered clear of contentious issues such as Chechnya which sparked a big row at the EU-Russia summit in Brussels in 2002. EU leaders seemed keen to reward Putin, who faces re-election in Spring 2004, for his pro-western policies that have included progress on economic reform, a readmission agreement with Lithuania on its responsibility for taking back illegal immigrants, and ratifying the MNEPR treaty on nuclear clean-up operations. In a joint statement issued at the conclusion of the summit, the EU and Russia called for 'A United Europe for all Europeans' and agreed to seek to develop a common economic space and a common space of freedom, security and justice in the future. The two parties also agreed to increase co-operation in the fields of external security, research and education. In order to realise these goals, the EU and Russia have agreed that the existing Co-operation Council, should meet more frequently and in different formats and that the political dialogue structures should be streamlined.
Helen Bower Compiled: Monday, 2 June 2003 The 11th EU-Russia summit took place in St. Petersburg on 31 May 2003. |
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| Countries / Regions | Russia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
