MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
7.11.2007
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Esko Seppänen, Gabriele Zimmer and André Brie
on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
on the EU-Russia Summit
B6‑0446/2007
European Parliament resolution on the EU-Russia Summit
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 (PCA), which entered into force in 1997 and expires in 2007,
– having regard to the results of the EU-Russia Summit of 26 October 2007 in Mafra,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on relations between the EU and Russia,
– 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 the EU and Russia have a solid trade relationship, which has become stronger following EU enlargement; whereas the EU and Russia are objectively interested in strengthening the mutually beneficial cooperation in the energy sector; whereas the EU has, in principle, supported Russian membership of the WTO,
C. whereas, for a considerable period of time, the development of relations has been overshadowed by the situation in Chechnya and other controversial issues, such as the common neighbourhood, the planned anti-missile system, energy relations, the meat trade and human and democratic rights; whereas the summit did not result in a major breakthrough in these areas,
D. whereas in the EU there are continuing and increasing concerns over the weakening of democracy in Russia and the concentration of power,
E. whereas the human rights dialogue between the EU and Russia has failed to contribute to a common understanding of the concept of human and democratic rights,
F. whereas the US plans to build an anti-missile system with components deployed in Poland and the Czech Republic have created new tensions and mistrust in relations between the EU and Russia; whereas Russian President Putin has announced that Russia would no longer stand by the terms of the 1990 treaty on the non-proliferation and reduction of conventional troops in Europe and has tested a new missile,
G. whereas the summit again failed to create the necessary conditions for the start of negotiations on a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the Russian Federation,
1. Reaffirms its conviction that Russia remains an important partner for the purpose of building strategic cooperation, with which the EU shares not only economic and trade interests but also the objective of cooperating closely in the international arena as well as in the common neighbourhood;
2. Regrets the delayed start of the negotiations on a Strategic Partnership Agreement; calls on the Russian government to create together with the European Union the necessary conditions for a rapid start to the negotiations; encourages the Portuguese Presidency to continue to work towards enabling the negotiating mandate for a new agreement to be adopted as soon as possible and to start negotiations without further delay; calls on the Member States to cooperate constructively;
3. Reiterates its view that the defence of human rights and democratic values should be a core principle of the EU's relationship with Russia; urges the Commission to ensure that these values do not have a subsidiary status in the EU-Russia negotiating package;
4. Emphasises that the situation in Chechnya continues to be an obstacle to and a cause of delay in the development of relations between the EU and Russia; reiterates its strong criticism of Russia's policy in Chechnya and its condemnation of the numerous human rights violations in Chechnya; calls on the Russian Federation as a matter of urgency to take concrete steps to eradicate torture and other ill-treatment, arbitrary detention and 'disappearances' in the Chechen Republic, and to tackle impunity in relation to such violations;
5. Expresses its concern about the restriction of democratic freedoms in the run-up to the Duma elections in December 2007 and the presidential elections in March 2008; calls on the Russian authorities to guarantee a free and fair process for both elections in order to ensure that the opposition parties have the possibility of participating in those elections and the opportunity to conduct a competitive election campaign, whilst fully respecting the principle of freedom of expression; stresses that freedom of the media will be of key importance if the elections are to be seen as free and fair;
6. Deeply deplores the decision of the Central Election Commission to restrict the scope of the OSCE election observation mission; fears that the restrictions may seriously limit the possibility of a meaningful observation mission being conducted in accordance with the OSCE standard methodology for full-scale election observation missions, which could have negative implications as a precedent for election observation in other countries; reiterates the EU's interest in being invited to observe the parliamentary elections as well;
7. Welcomes the holding of the first Permanent Partnership Council on Culture; underlines the importance of people-to-people contacts; notes that the recent visa facilitation agreement between the EU and Russia has contributed to a certain extent towards overcoming the existing difficulties in this area, but stresses that there is a need for more ambitious visa facilitation which also covers ordinary bona fide travellers not belonging to any pre-set categories, and for liberalisation in the long term;
8. Calls on the Council and the Commission to redouble their efforts to solve the problems involved in crossing the EU-Russian border and to engage in concrete projects and make full use of the new Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument and Interreg funds for cross-border cooperation;
9. Underlines the strategic importance of cooperation on energy and the need to enhance EU‑Russia energy relations; stresses that further cooperation in this field must be based on the principles of interdependence and transparency as well as the importance of reciprocity in terms of access to markets, infrastructure and investment, with the objective of avoiding oligopolistic market structures and diversifying the European Union's energy supply;
10. Calls on both sides to find a solution to the timber export duty problem in accordance with WTO rules;
11. Underlines the mutual interest in sustainability and continued reliability as regards the production, distribution, transportation and efficient use of energy; welcomes, in this context, the start of the investment dialogue and the establishment of an energy early‑warning mechanism;
12. Takes the view that, in the energy dialogue, greater emphasis should be placed on energy efficiency; notes the exchange of information on advanced energy technologies; calls on the Commission to encourage cooperation between EU and Russia in these fields;
13. Calls upon Russia and EU Member States to reach the prescribed targets of the Kyoto Protocol and emphasises, in this respect, the specific responsibility of developed countries to take the lead in reducing emissions; considers that Russia is a central player in the Kyoto Protocol and calls on it to play an active role at the Bali Climate Conference and to agree to the necessary negotiating mandate to establish the framework of an ambitious international post-2012 climate agreement which is consistent with the objective of limiting climate change to below 2°C compared to pre-industrial times;
14. Welcomes the conclusion of the EU-Russia agreement on trade in certain steel products;
15. Notes the differences between the EU and Russia concerning neighbourhood policy; rejects foreign policies aimed at creating spheres of influence; stresses the need fully to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states; calls on the EU and Russia to cooperate constructively on the solution of frozen conflicts in their common neighbourhood, in particular as far as Transnistria is concerned; stresses that the Kosovo issues must be settled on the basis of international law, and rejects any unilateral actions;
16. Expresses its deep concern about the start of a new arms race in Europe resulting in particular from the US plans to establish an anti-missile system in EU Member States; calls upon the US to withdraw these plans, which have alarmed European public opinion; calls upon the governments and parliaments of the Czech Republic and Poland not to accept anti-missile systems on their territory;
17. Insists on strict implementation of all existing arms control and disarmament agreements; calls for the reopening of political dialogue within the OSCE and the Conference on Disarmament on security, arms control and disarmament issues, with a view to putting a definitive end to the arms race, to agreeing on further arms reductions and to establishing a nuclear-weapon-free Europe;
18. Reiterates that the EU and Russia should work together towards arriving at multilateral solutions to global issues; calls on the EU and Russia to cooperate in order to find a peaceful solution to the problems concerning the Iranian nuclear policy;
19. Calls on the EU and Russia, as members of the Quartet, to contribute actively to the solution of the Middle East conflict by ensuring that the forthcoming conference addresses the final status issues and aims at reaching a comprehensive regional peace arrangement on the basis of UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative;
20. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the Russian Federation, and the Council of Europe.