The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States and Russia, which entered into force on 1 December 1997 and will expire in 2007,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on Russia and Chechnya and, in particular, its recommendation of 26 February 2004 to the Council on EU-Russia relations, as well as its resolution on the EU-Russia Summit held in The Hague on 25 November 2004,

–  having regard to the outcome of the 17th EU-Russia Summit, held in Sochi on 25 May 2006,

–  having regard to the EU-Russia Human Rights dialogue,

–  having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas enhanced cooperation and good neighbourly relations between the EU and Russia are of key importance to the stability, security and prosperity of the whole of Europe,

B.  whereas both sides underline the importance of the strategic EU-Russia partnership and their intention to further intensify their cooperation in Europe and beyond on the basis of shared interests and common values, in particular democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights,

C.  whereas the EU-Russia Summit held in St Petersburg in May 2003 decided to adopt four common areas, adding an area of freedom, security and justice, an area of external security and an area of research, education and culture to the Common Economic Area that had been agreed on two years earlier,

D.  whereas the EU after its last enlargement is deeply committed to the implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy as one of the top priorities of its external actions, with the subsequent further involvement in the resolution of conflicts in Transnistria and the South Caucasus,

E.  whereas the EU and Russia have a joint responsibility to bring about peaceful solutions to conflicts in their immediate vicinities,

1.  Stresses that the present partnership with Russia is more pragmatic than strategic since it reflects in the first place common economic interests without achieving major results as regards human rights and the rule of law;

2.  Welcomes the ongoing work on the Common Economic Space (CES), which has the overall objective of bringing down barriers to trade and investment and promoting reforms and competitiveness, based on the principles of non-discrimination, transparency and good governance, but regrets the lack of substantial progress on the practical implementation of the Road Maps for the other three Common Spaces;

3.  Underlines the strategic importance of cooperation on energy and the need to enhance EU‑Russia energy relations; regrets therefore that the summit failed to secure an agreement in this field and stresses as a basis for further negotiations the principle of interdependence as well as the importance of reciprocity in terms of access to markets, infrastructure and investment; calls in this context on Russia to ratify the Energy Charter Treaty;

4.  Welcomes the signing of agreements on visa facilitation and readmission aiming aimed at easing visa restrictions on travel for certain categories of citizens as well as facilitating the expulsion of immigrants illegally entering the EU from Russian territory;

5.  Welcomes the agreement on the terms of the European Commission’s € 20 million programme of assistance for socio-economic recovery in the North Caucasus as a further sign of the EU’s and Russia’s willingness to cooperate in this region;

6.  Supports the work being jointly undertaken by both partners to intensify practical cooperation in crisis management and stresses the need to cooperate also in strengthening multilateral non-proliferation mechanisms;

Human Rights Dialogue

7.  Recognises the importance of the several established dialogues for the better functioning of EU-Russian cooperation and partnership and underlines in particular the necessity (usefulness) of the Human Rights Dialogue;

8.  Urges the EU-Russia Cooperation Council to intensify the Human Rights Dialogue in frequency, depth and follow-up, and to develop it into a central element of the partnership;

9.  Calls on the partners to enhance the Human Rights Dialogue in the new agreement, after the expiration of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), into a well structured and more transparent instrument for progress towards a common Human Rights policy;

10.  Expects that the existing version of the PCA, which expires in 2007 and focuses also on human rights and civil liberties, will be the foundation of the new PCA and welcomes the agreement reached at the summit that the current PCA will remain valid until the new agreement enters into force;

11.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Member States, the President and Parliament of the Russian Federation, the OSCE and the Council of Europe.