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THE EP POSITIVE VIEWS ON THE STATE OF EU-RUSSIA RELATIONS

Submitted by christian on Mon, 02/15/2016 - 13:22
  1. The EU has for many years striven to build a mutually beneficial strategic partnership with Russia based on shared values and principles, such as democracy and rule of law, and on common interests;
  2. The EU remains open to such a relationship and to dialogue leading to it, and wishes to return to a cooperative relation with Russia, should the Russian authorities meet their international and legal obligations;
  3. A constructive relationship between the EU and Russia must be sought in the long run, in the interest of both parties and with a view to facing common global challenges, such as climate change, new technological developments and the fight against terrorism, extremism and organised crime;
  4. EU-Russia cooperation has recorded positive outcomes in some fields such as the Northern dimension and cross-border cooperation; Russia has been constructive in the recent Iran negotiations;
  5. The Eurasian Economic Union should not be seen as competing with the European Union;
  6. In the long run, a constructive and predictable relationship between the EU and Russia is possible and desirable for their mutual benefit, especially in view of the existing political, trade, transport and energy relations, people-to-people contacts including through Erasmus+ and the Common Steps, cross-border cooperation, climate change, environment, and sectorial cooperation, bearing in mind that reciprocal sanctions are harmful to both economies, that common challenges and interests on the world scene must be addressed, and that the divisive nature of the perception of security in Europe can be overcome by increased dialogue. There are  positive outcomes of EU-Russia cooperation in various areas such as the fight against terrorism, extremism and organised crime, the Northern dimension partnership, the nuclear talks with Iran, and in the Middle East Peace Process as well as in finding a solution to the conflict in Syria;
  7. The EU-Russia relations must henceforth be based on respect for international law and a dialogue, whereby the EU would be ready to re-engage and relaunch cooperation with the authorities in Moscow in a number of specific fields of common interest but renewed cooperation must not be conducted at the expense of international principles, European values, standards and international commitments;
  8. The EU must clearly define both its expectations of Russia, especially as regards respecting international law and contractual commitments and acting as a predictable partner;
  9. The Commission should programme more ambitious financial assistance to Russian civil society from the existing external financial instruments; the EU should reach out to Russian officials and civil society organisations that are inclined to develop a vision of political and diplomatic relations with the EU based on partnership and cooperation; promote, as much as possible, people-to-people contacts and maintain, despite the current state of relations, strong dialogue and cooperation between EU and Russian students and researchers, between civil societies and between local authorities, with a view to diffusing tension and improving mutual understanding.

 

 

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