EU to press Russia on democratic reforms
The European Union is to press Russia today over concerns that Moscow is not working hard enough for democratic reforms the EU says are crucial to generating economic growth and investments.
EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Javier Solana, the EU security affairs chief, will meet Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov for talks to further a broad co-operation agreement.
“To reap the full potential of our relationship, I hope we will make substantial progress” in four key areas, Ferrero-Waldner said ahead of the meeting with Lavrov in Luxembourg, which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency.
The four areas cover economic areas, justice matters, external security and cultural affairs, including research and education. The EU and Russian president Vladimir Putin hope to sign an overall partnership accord on May 10 in Moscow.
Ferrero-Waldner spoke of “an ambitious agenda” not just to increase economic co-operation, but also to boost “efforts together to build security for our citizens and in our immediate neighbourhood and forge new links in education and research”.
The EU’s attempts to improve relations with Russia after the Cold War often have involved struggle.
To reflect its world power status, Russia wants a more ambitious deal than EU accords pursued with former Soviet republics, such as Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus or the Caucasus states.
Those countries have invited EU concern, though, by displaying shaky commitments to human rights and troubling governance records that have hindered durable economic growth.
The EU has wanted to reach out to its eastern neighbours with broad economic and political assistance, while Moscow is wary of a clash between an expanding Europe and its own sphere of influence.
Progress on the new EU-Russia partnership agreement has been stalled for months.
In November, the two sides could not agree on closer cooperation on security issues, an area that touches on Russia’s relations with Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and the Caucasus.
Russia already has complained about what it considers interference on human rights in Chechnya, accusing the EU of double standards, saying the treatment of Russian-speaking minorities in the Baltic states of Latvia and Estonia, which joined the bloc last May, falls short of international standards.
During a summit last week in Slovakia, US president George Bush pressed Putin on the rule of law, protection of minorities, press freedom and viable political opposition in Russia.
