Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov and other members of the Russian government will be visiting the European Commission on 7 December for meetings with President Josƒ?? Manuel Barroso and other Commissioners.
The talks are expected to give impetus to the implementation of the road maps for the four common spaces agreed earlier this year. They will also discuss the future basis of the relationship and international issues.
President Barroso said: "I look forward to welcoming our guests. This visit
demonstrates the Commission’s wish to make progress on the wide range of
issues currently on the EU/Russian agenda. Following two successful summits we
need to turn words into action in areas such as energy, climate change, people
to people contacts or the fight against common security threats. Above all we
need to see where we can make progress together for the mutual benefit of all
our citizens."
Commissioner for External Relations and Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner
added: "This will be one of a series of meetings with my opposite number
Sergei Lavrov at which we pursue cooperation on international issues –
for example on the Middle East and Iran where we have every similar objectives;
and I hope also to narrow the differences where we do not see eye to eye yet."
The Russian delegation will be led by Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov and comprises
the Ministers for Foreign Affairs (Lavrov), Energy and Industry (Khristenko),
Trade (Gref), Transport (Levitin), Agriculture (Gordeyev), Telecommunications
(Reiman) and Education and Science (Fursenko). The Ministers will meet with
the “college” of Commissioners to discuss the implementation of
the four common spaces. They will then hold bilateral meetings with their EU
counterparts. The Commission will be keen to give a boost to pursuing cooperation
under the common economic space (energy, climate change, cooperation on a number
of regulatory and trade-related issues).
On freedom, security and justice, negotiations on agreements on visa facilitation
and readmission have been finalised. The meeting should be a chance to review
progress on signature and ratification so that the two agreements enter into
force simultaneously as soon as possible. Under the common space on research,
education, research and culture they will want to give a boost to people-to-people
contacts.
Over lunch the participants will discuss options for replacing the current
Partnership and Cooperation Agreement at some point after the end of its initial
10 year phase in 2007. A brainstorming meeting is to take place on that subject
in Moscow on 14 December.
The Commissioners are likely to be interested in the internal political situation
in Russia following the recent elections in Chechnya and as Russia approaches
Parliamentary and Presidential elections in 2007 and 2008. The Commission will
want to underline its wish to pursue active engagement in North Caucasus involving
the €20 million programme for socio-economic recovery now approved, and
to stress the need for further progress towards democratic stability there.
The question on human rights and democratic stability in Chechnya will be raised.
The Commission will press for further administrative and economic reform in
Russia. This is important to widen Russia’s manufacturing base beyond
the natural resource sector and to promote greater investment. Early WTO accession
could inject an enormous boost of confidence into the economy. The impetus for
progress on WTO must come from Russia herself.
International issues on the agenda are expected to include the future of the
OSCE in the light of the Ljubljana Ministerial meeting on 6 December; Middle
East Peace Process and Iran, where the EU and Russia share broadly similar objectives;
Transnistria and Georgia, where they will want to assess prospects for progress
in solving the frozen conflicts.
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