The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Russian Federation, of the other part, which entered into force on 1 December 1997,

–  having regard to the objective of the EU and Russia, set out in the joint statement issued after the St Petersburg Summit on 31 May 2003, to set up a common economic space, a common space of freedom, security and justice, a common space of cooperation in the field of external security and a common space on research and education, including cultural aspects,

–  having regard to its recommendation of 26 February 2004 to the Council on EU-Russia relations and its resolution of 15 December 2004 on the EU-Russia Summit held in The Hague on 25 November 2004,

–  having regard to its resolution of 26 May 2005 on EU-Russia relations,

–  having regard to its resolution of 23 March 2006 on security of energy supply in the European Union,

–  having regard to the Duma resolution of 7 May 2006 on Ukraine threatening that country with a deterioration in relations should it join NATO,

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

A.  whereas good-neighbourly relations and cooperation between the EU and Russia are important for stability, security and economic prosperity across the whole of the European continent,

B.  whereas long term cooperation between the EU and Russia must be based on common values, thus encompassing human rights, the market economy, the rule of law and democracy,

C.  whereas Russia has declared its full participation in the UN, the G8 and the Council of Europe to be a cornerstone of its foreign policy,

D.  whereas security of energy supply is one of the biggest challenges for Europe and one of the major fields of cooperation with Russia, and whereas the EU imports around a quarter of its gas and oil from Russia and is the most reliable consumer of Russian exports,

E.  whereas Russia currently chairs the Council of Europe, and whereas this task carries special responsibilities in demonstrating in-depth cooperation with this international organisation with a view to promoting respect for and monitoring compliance with human rights, the rule of law and democracy,

F.  whereas democracy has been weakened in Russia, in particular as a result of all major TV stations and most radio stations and newspapers being brought under government control, the spread of self-censorship among the print media, new restrictions on the right to organise public demonstrations, growing pressure on NGOs, increased political control of the judiciary and changes to the way Members of the State Duma are elected,

G.  welcomes the EU assistance programme for Chechnya, with funding of € 20 million, and reiterates that the human rights situation in Chechnya is not improving in a satisfactory manner,

H.  whereas good relations between Russia and its neighbours and with the EU demand respect for those countries' independence and right to choose political and economic partners and full respect for their territorial integrity,

I.  whereas Russia recognised the election of Alexander Lukashenko, which breached democratic rules, as stated by the OSCE observers, and thus supports the last dictatorship in Europe,

J.  whereas the Russian Government does not respect the principles of free trade, imposing on neighbouring countries, including EU Member States, long-term import bans without justification,

1.  Acknowledges the importance of Russia as a partner for cooperation and reaffirms its commitment to develop the four Common Spaces and other forms of partnership with Russia;

2.  Underlines that any further progress in creating the Common Spaces must be linked to progress in the human rights dialogue between the EU and Russia;

3.  Expects that during its Chairmanship of the Council of Europe Russia will take significant steps to enhance respect for and the protection of human rights at home and, more particularly, to put an end to the torture and ill-treatment, arbitrary detentions and enforced 'disappearances' in Chechnya;

4.  Reiterates its commitment to support the development of civil society in Russia and underlines that freedom of speech embraces also the existence of media independent of the government, that freedom of assembly must incorporate the right of NGOs to conduct freely activities involving cooperation with foreign organisations, and, finally, that an independent judiciary is a cornerstone of democracy;

5.  Underlines that substantial progress in cooperation in the field of energy requires that the Russian authorities should accept the principle of the Energy Charter Treaty and that no progress in opening up the European market to Russian companies can be made if European companies are not granted greater access to Russian resources and Russia's energy supplies transportation network;

6.  Calls on the Russian Government to exert pressure on the Belarussian Government to honour its international obligations concerning respect for human rights and compliance with democratic principles;

7.  Calls on Russia to withdraw its support for separatist forces in Georgia and Transdnistria and to engage constructively in peaceful resolution of the conflicts;

8.  Believes that no long-term solution to the conflict in Chechnya can be reached without respect for democratic principles and human rights;

9.  Urges the Russian Government to respect the right of Ukraine to decide freely about its political, economic or military alliances;

10.  Points out that progress on the finalisation of outstanding border agreements between Estonia and Russia and Latvia and Russia remains a high priority for EU-Russia relations and that the issue should be dealt with in a constructive and fair manner acceptable to all sides;

11.  Urges the Commission and the Council to take effective action, not excluding retaliatory steps, if Russia refuses to end the long-term import bans imposed on EU Member States;

12.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of Russia.