Russian Federation - Partnership and Cooperation Agreement
The Russian Federation is one of the most important partners for the European Union. A key priority of the European Union is to build a strong strategic partnership with Russia based on a solid foundation of mutual respect.
The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) is the legal basis for EU - Russia cooperation. It came into force on 1 December 1997 for an initial duration of 10 years. During the 21. EU-Russia summit, held on 27 June, 2008 in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, the leaders of the EU and the Russian Federation launched the negotiations for a New EU/Russia Agreement. According to the Joint statement of the EU-Russia summit, the new strategic agreement should provide for a strengthened legal basis and legally binding commitments covering all main areas of the relationship, as included in the four EU/Russia common spaces and their road maps which were agreed at the Moscow Summit in May 2005. On 4 July, the negotiators of the European Commission and the Russian Federation met for a first round of talks on the new Agreement in Brussels. During this first meeting negotiators focused on defining the overall scope of the negotiations, the agenda for the different areas to be covered, and establishing a calendar for the negotiations.
Previously, relations between the EU and Russia stood still for 18 months, caused by Polish and Lithuanian complaints. Russia has blocked imports of Polish meat since November 2005, citing health concerns, but Warsaw claimed the ban was politically motivated and retaliated by placing a veto on negotiations between Russia and the EU. Yet, after Russia lifted its embargo, Poland also opened up for new negotiations.
Lithuania blocked further talks in April of 2008, demanding that a number of sensitive issues, including energy security and relations with Georgia, be included in the EU negotiating mandate. The Baltic country lifted its block after some of its reservations were included in the mandate for negotiations, adopted in May 2008.
The current PCA is based upon the following principles and objectives: the promotion of international peace and security; support for democratic norms as well as for political and economic freedoms. It is based on the idea of mutual partnership with the aim of strengthening political, commercial, economic, and cultural ties.
At the St. Petersburg Summit in May 2003, the EU and Russia agreed to reinforce their cooperation by creating in the long term four ‘Common Spaces’ in the framework of the PCA and on the basis of common values and shared interests. These Common Spaces are as follows:
1. The Common Economic Space - covering economic issues and the environment;
2. The Common Space of Freedom, Security and Justice;
3. The Common Space of External Security - including crisis management and non-proliferation;
4. The Common Space of Research and Education - including cultural aspects.
The Moscow Summit in May 2005 adopted Road Maps to act as the short and mediumterm
instruments for the implementation of the four Common Spaces. These build on the on-going cooperation as described above, set out further specific objectives, and specify the actions necessary to make the common spaces a reality. They thereby determine the agenda for cooperation between the EU and Russia for the medium-term.
Energy is a very important element in the EU-Russia relationship. This relationship can be best characterised as mutual interdependence of supply, demand, investment and know-how. The EU-Russia Energy Dialogue, launched in 2000, provides opportunities at both the political and expert level to foster cooperation and solve key problems. The issues discussed include barriers to investments in terms of transparency, reciprocity and protection of investors in the energy sector; as well as cooperation on new technologies and infrastructure projects. Particular attention is paid to energy efficiency and energy saving – an area that has vast potential for drastically reducing energy consumption in Russia.
Other important EU-Russia Agreements include:
