The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the EU-Russia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which entered into force in 1997 and is still in force,

–  having regard to the EU-Russia Consultations on Human Rights,

–  having regard to its previous reports and resolutions on Russia and on EU-Russia relations, in particular the resolution of 26 May 2005(1), the resolutions on the previous EU-Russia summits, the resolution of 25 October 2006(2) on EU-Russia relations following the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, the resolution of 26 April 2007(3) on the repression of opposition demonstrations and the resolution of 19 June 2007 on EU economic and trade relations with Russia(4),

–  having regard to the outcome of the 10th EU-Russia summit held in Mafra on 26 October 2007,

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

A.  whereas the European Union continues to be committed to further deepening and developing relations between the European Union and Russia,

B.  whereas EU-Russia relations are facing a number of serious challenges which are not of the EU's making, notably as regards the widespread concern over democracy and human rights in Russia, over the independence of the judiciary, over increased control of the media, over the inability of the Russian police and judicial authorities to find those responsible for murders of journalists, over repressive measures taken against the opposition, over the selective application of the law by the authorities and over the fairness of the recently held elections,

C.  whereas the European Union must speak with one voice in its relations with Russia and base its relations with Russia on solidarity and adherence to the EU's values, despite Russia's insistence on focussing on bilateral relations with some of the EU Member States,

D.  whereas the evolution of the political system in Russia under Vladimir Putin's presidency raises doubts about the prospects of building a 'strategic partnership based on common values', and whereas more realistic cooperation based on a firm and united stand by all Member States should be developed,

E.  whereas the changes in the Russian leadership following last year's Duma elections and the Presidential elections earlier this year may impart new impetus to EU-Russia relations, to improvements in Russia's relations with some of its close neighbours and to the development of democracy and the rule of law in Russia,

F.  whereas economic and trade relations between the EU and Russia are evidence of increasing mutual interdependency between the EU and Russia, which necessitates a joint effort and commitment to ensure sustainable growth,

1.  Notes that the Summit in Khanty-Mansiysk will be the first summit for President Medvedev and comes at a crucial time when the negotiations on a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement are about to be launched; notes with concern the recent speech by President Medvedev in Berlin which revealed Russia's insistence on bilateral relations with European countries, making Russia's policy towards the rest of Europe out of step with European integration;

2.  Welcomes the holding of the biannual EU-Russia summits as an opportunity for high-level talks between the Russian leadership and the Presidency-in-Office and EU officials on a range of issues mutually recognised as important, including problems of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and Iran;

3.  Notes that many aspects of Russian policies are in sharp contrast to the stated objective of a 'strategic partnership';

4.  Expresses its support for the idea of developing future relations with Russia in a more pragmatic way, with a continuing focus on areas covered by the Four Common Spaces and on the need for a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, and by focussing on practical cooperation, joint projects and implementation of commitments and agreements made so far;

5.  Notes serious concerns in the Council about launching the negotiations on a new agreement with Russia; is of the view that despite the current challenges to EU-Russia relations, a continued engagement is necessary and hopes that the Summit will be instrumental in offering a structured way forward;

6.  Underlines in particular the need for the new agreement to go beyond purely economic cooperation and also to include the areas of democracy, the rule of law, judicial cooperation and respect for human rights, particularly fundamental rights, although the current situation in Russia gives rise to serious concern as regards its commitment and ability to abide by these principles and values; will continue to monitor developments within Russia throughout the negotiation process;

7.  Welcomes the fact that the EU-Russia Summit will take place in the administrative centre of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous District; calls on the Presidency-in-Office to use the opportunity presented by the Summit, followed by the 5th World Congress of Finno-Ugric Peoples, to discuss efforts to address difficulties faced by Finno-Ugric minorities in Russia as regards political representation as well as the protection and development of their cultural and linguistic identities;

8.  Expresses its serious concern over Russia's decision to establish enhanced links with the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and reiterates its full support for the territorial integrity of Georgia; calls on Russia to refrain from any further action which could aggravate the tension and to take measures to improve relations with Georgia; hopes that the recent meeting in St Petersburg between President Medvedev and President Saakashvili will lead to an improvement in Russo-Georgian relations;

9.  Calls on the Presidency-in-Office to raise during the EU-Russia summit the issue of the shooting-down of a Georgian drone by a Russian aircraft as well as the recent substantial increase in the number of Russian troops in Abkhazia, and to offer greater EU involvement in the conflict resolution process, including the possibility of an EU peace-keeping mission on the ground and a replacement of the CIS and Russian troops;

10.  Calls for a stepping-up of the EU-Russia Human Rights Dialogue and for this process to be opened up to an effective input from the European Parliament, the State Duma and civil society and human rights organisations;

11.  Points out that energy cooperation must be based on the principles of the Energy Charter, which must be incorporated in the new framework agreement between the EU and Russia in order to ensure transparent and fair mutual investment conditions, equal access and a rule-based market; underlines that in this field too a united EU approach is needed;

12.  Points out that membership of the WTO will force Russia to come to terms with the rule-based global market; calls on Russia to respect agreements made with the EU in the run-up to its WTO accession, for example regarding tax on timber exports and regarding energy exports, foreign investment and other trade issues;

13.  Calls on the Council and the Commission to redouble their efforts to solve the problems involved in crossing the borders between the EU and Russia and to engage in concrete projects and fully use the new Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument and INTERREG funds for cross-border cooperation;

14.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Governments and Parliaments of the Member States and of the Russian Federation.

(1) P6_TA(2005)0207. (2) P6_TA(2006)0448. (3) P6_TA(2007)0169. (4) P6_TA(2007)0262.