EU and Russia move Strategic Partnership forwards - 13/12/11

EU and Russia flags © EUEU and Russia flags © EU

The EU-Russia Summit taking place in Brussels on 14 and 15 December is expected to see significant results, notably in the areas of Russia’s WTO accession, visa facilitation and mobility issues, aviation, and the EU-Russia Partnership for Modernisation.

Leaders at the summit will also review global and European economic developments, key international and regional issues. And as part of their regular dialogue, they will discuss human rights and democracy issues, including elections for the State Duma on 4 December. 

The EU and Russia share a strategic partnership, working closely together in areas such as trade, security and energy. Significant progress has been made recently, particularly in relation to Russia’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) accession and steps towards increasing and facilitating contacts between EU and Russian people.

Russia first applied for WTO membership 18 years ago, and will be accepted at the WTO’s 15-17 December meeting. WTO accession will open new opportunities for EU-Russia trade and the development of bilateral relations in general. This step will also help to solve a longstanding issue on Siberian overflight charges (airlines had been obliged to pay fees to Russian airline Aeroflot when flying over Siberia).

The summit is expected to agree upon a set of steps that must be implemented before a decision on negotiations on a visa-waiver scheme can be taken. Progress on visa facilitation includes a specific solution for border traffic between Kaliningrad and Poland, and moves to upgrade the existing Visa Facilitation Agreement. All of this will benefit ordinary citizens and increase people-to-people contacts.

Leaders will discuss the global economy and global governance issues, as well as international developments – including developments in North Africa and the Middle East. And the summit will also endorse further concrete action to implement the EU-Russia Partnership for Modernisation.

This will be the 28th time that leaders from the EU and Russia meet at a bilateral summit. The EU will be represented by President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso. High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton will also attend. The Russian delegation will be headed by President Dmitry Medvedev.