MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the EU-Russia Summit
9.6.2010
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Helmut Scholz, Nikolaos Chountis on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0296/2010
B7‑0297/2010
European Parliament resolution on the EU-Russia Summit
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the results of the EU-Russia Summit in Rostov- on Don, 1 June 2010,
– 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 was negotiated in the early 1990s and expired in 2007,
– having regard to the objective of the EU and Russia, set out in the joint statement issued following the St Petersburg Summit held 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 of research and education, including cultural aspects,
– having regard to the EU-Russia human rights consultations, and in particular to the most recent consultations which took place on 17 April 2008,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on relations between the EU and Russia,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas Russia is a strategic neighbour of the EU and a powerful political and economic factor in the region and in the international arena,
B. whereas economic relations between the EU and Russia have been steadily developing over the past decade, leading to deep and comprehensive economic cooperation and interdependency; whereas contrary the political relations remained tense,
C. whereas there is a latent dispute between the EU and Russia on creating spheres of influence in the common neighbourhood; whereas this competition prevents the solution of frozen conflicts and risks to create new one’s; whereas the European Union and the Russian Federation could and should play together an active role in promoting peace and stability in the common neighbourhood,
D. whereas energy supply is one of the major fields of cooperation between the EU and Russia; whereas nearly 40% of the EU’s gas imports depend on Gazprom; whereas vice versa, over 60% of Russian oil and gas exports flow to the EU; whereas this interdependency allow for a win-win situation,
E. whereas there are continuing concerns over the respect and protection of human rights, the State control of the media, the worsening climate for non-governmental organisations, political control of the judiciary and difficulties impeding the ability of the political opposition to operate,
F. whereas EU and Russia are challenged to overcome the mistrust and to establish constructive relations, inter alia by successfully concluding the negotiations on a Strategic Partnership Agreement between the EU and the Russian Federation which are still in a deadlock,
1. Welcomes the Declaration on Partnership for Modernisation as a step to give to the development of the strategic relations a new impetus; wishes that this encouraging development will result in a full normalisation of the relations;
2. Takes the view that in the discussions on the economic and financial crisis the two sides should give due consideration to alleviating the burden on working people and vulnerable sectors of society;
3. Notes that cooperation in the energy sector between the EU and Russia offers the prospect of a win-win situation if the relations are based on the principles of mutual respect of interests, transparency and reciprocity; calls on the two sides to give more emphasis to energy efficiency, energy saving and renewable energy; stresses that energy must be considered a public good;
4. Reiterates its position in favour of renewable energy and calls for the safe decommissioning of Russia’s first-generation nuclear reactors, which pose a threat to lives both in Russia and in neighbouring countries; calls on the EU Commission to finance research cooperation programs in this area;
5. Calls on the EU and Russia to work closely together on the climate change issues and to contribute to an ambitious and binding agreement to be achieved in Mexico in 2010;
6. Calls on the European Union and the Russian Federation to support and to co-finance the creation of the Yasuni-ITT Trust Fund under the auspices of UNDP as proposed by the Ecuadorian government, which is intended to compensate the Ecuadorian people for abstaining from the extraction of oil from the fields located in the Yasuni National Park;
7. Stresses the need that the political actors both in the EU and in Russia in their decision making process take the discussions of their civil society into consideration; stresses the importance of people-to-people contacts and their beneficial effect on the development of EU-Russia relations;
8. Takes note of developments in visa facilitation between the EU and Russia, but stresses that there is a need for more ambitious visa facilitation also covering ordinary bona fide travellers not belonging to any pre-set categories, and liberalisation in the long term;
9. Calls for improved possibilities for Russian students and academics to make use of EU exchange programmes;
10. Notes the enhanced EU-Russia cooperation in civil and criminal justice and in tackling drugs; insists that cooperation in the fight against human trafficking and illegal immigration should fully respect civil liberties and human rights;
11. Welcomes the recent signing of the NEW START agreement between Russia and the United States; calls on the Russia and the US to continue their nuclear disarmament efforts; calls for a nuclear-free Europe and for the dissolution of all nuclear sharing arrangements of EU Member States with the United States; calls on the EU Member States to undertake new initiatives with a view to starting negotiations to this end; expresses its opposition NATO enlargement and its to the deployment of any new ballistic and anti-ballistic missile systems in Europe; considers the plans of the United States as a destabilizing element that could be a great hindrance on the way to further nuclear disarmament; calls for enhanced cooperation between the EU and Russia on conversion;
12. Takes note of the report published in September 2009 by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Conflict in Georgia, appointed by European Council decision on 2 December 2008, and its assertion that the large-scale armed conflict in Georgia in August 2008 was started by the Georgian armed forces; reiterates its support for the Geneva process, the peaceful resolution of the conflict and respect for the territorial integrity of every state;
13. Calls on the EU and Russia to initiate negotiations with the United States and Canada an international treaty for the protection of the Arctic, along the lines of the existing Antarctic Treaty, in order to make the Arctic a zone of peace and cooperation reserved solely for peaceful activities; given the vulnerability of the Arctic environment stresses the urgent need to establish, as a first step, a 50-year moratorium on any exploration or expansion of mineral resource extraction in the region;
14. Notes the Joint statement by the High Representative Catharine Ashton and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov on the Israeli military operation against the flotilla sailing to Gaza; calls on both partners who are Members of the Quartet to bring about pressure on Israel to end the blockade of Gaza, to respect agreements and to end any settlement activity and to start seriously negotiating solutions leading to the establishment of an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state;
15. Welcomes the agreement signed by Brazil, Iran and Turkey on the 17th of May 2010 over the treatment of its enriched uranium; calls on the EU and Russia to actively contribute to a peaceful political settlement to the dispute about Iran's nuclear programmes and calls for the resumption of negotiations; takes the view that a comprehensive and equitable solution is only possible on the basis of the recognition of Iran's right to peaceful nuclear activities while assuring the international community of the peaceful nature of its nuclear programme; is firmly convinced that dialogue and diplomacy can achieve a realistic, long-term solution to the Iranian issue, within a multilateral framework under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna and that new sanctions are counterproductive;
16. Rejects foreign policies aimed at creating spheres of influence; stresses the need to fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, including the right of every state to seek to develop its relations with other states based on its own definition of its interests without outside interference;
17. Notes the progress in the human rights dialogue achieved during summit in Rostov-on don; reiterates it's concern about the human and democratic rights situation in Russia, expressed in many resolutions of the European Parliament; takes note of the concerns with regard to the Russian-speaking minorities in the Baltic States; considers that respect for minority rights should be of the utmost importance for the EU;
18. 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.