Test of resolve as EU leaders head to Russia

Date: 13/05/04

The EU's new 'get tough' approach with Russia will be put to the test next week when leaders from both sides meet at a summit in Moscow on 21 May.

It will be the first occasion for President Vladimir Putin to meet his EU counterparts since the Union's foreign ministers agreed in February to take a harder line with Russia. This follows a damning European Commission paper accusing Moscow of a "selective application of the law".

Bertie Ahern, the Irish prime minister, will be eager to avoid the gaffes committed by Silvio Berlusconi, who deviated from agreed EU policy by defending the presence of Russian troops in Moldova and downplaying human rights abuses by Russian troops in Chechnya at a November summit in Rome.

Despite the hardening of EU policy and the likelihood that Moscow will be criticized for its failure to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, a breakthrough is anticipated on the question of Russia's application to join the World Trade Organization.

The EU side has indicated it could support Moscow's bid, first lodged eleven years ago, if it agrees to bridge the gap between domestic gas prices and world market levels.

At present, the Union regards the gas regime as discriminatory towards non-Russian firms.

Meanwhile, Commission officials are drawing up action plans on making the four 'common spaces' outlined in a communiqué issued after the May 2003 summit in St Petersburg a reality. But it is not yet clear if these will be formally endorsed next week.

Of the four 'spaces', the Russians are particularly eager to have an agreement in the justice and home affairs domain, which would grant their citizens the right to travel to the EU without a visa.

"This could take one year or it could take 20," said an EU diplomat. "It would be dependent on the Russians putting in place the necessary administration and border management structure."

The other three 'spaces' concern economic cooperation, security and research and education.

Article previews the EU-Russia Summit to be held in Moscow on 21 May 2004.

http://www.eeas.europa.eu/russia/index_en.htm http://www.eeas.europa.eu/russia/index_en.htm

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