EUROPEAN UNION'S RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA

In January 2017, Member States will examine the option of extending, tightening, easing or lifting some of the sanctions adopted against the Russian Federation. Beyond this short term deadline, general election in France and Germany will give rise to a potential turning point in the EU’s relations with Russia.

There is a need for a pragmatic policy that recognizes the interdependence of the two partners. It should be based on a useful partnership considering the reinforcement of sector-based consultation areas between Europe and Russia and the preparation of new economic convergences.

Cultural, scientific and educational exchange programmes must be developed on various levels, on the part of the EU, which has a poorer understanding of Russia than in the past, and on the part of Russia, which is gradually moving away from the European way of thinking. More pragmatic cooperation on issues of justice, decentralized cooperation and combatting corruption would most likely be more effective than lessons in democracy. To support this initiative, the European Union must make very significant efforts with regard to communication towards Russia. Reshaping Europe’s image in Russia can greatly benefit the European interests there.

Russian-European relations must involve a stronger economic rapprochement. The economic cooperation between the EU and the Eurasian Union may be a promising outlet for the region’s stabilization.

New economic convergences may result in de facto cooperation.

1. Finding common ground with regard to the various current sanctions/embargo cycle. The partnership with Russia would imply the lifting of some sanctions but also the settlement of economic disputes between Russia and Ukraine, and other Eastern partners. The drive to put an end to trade wars would mean that the Russia’s application to join the OECD could be studied in a new light, thus constituting a symbolic challenge.
2. Considering the terms and benefits of a free trade agreement between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union. It is certain that Russia shows compliance of variable geometry with the WTO’s decisions since its accession in 2012, and that the non-membership of some Member States of the Eurasian Economic Union is a political (making the normative framework of the WTO more vulnerable) and technical problem (resulting in a renegotiation of the organisation’s rules). However, it is in the interest of Europeans that the Eurasian Economic Union is consolidated with it, and not only as part of the Chinese project for a ‘New Silk Road’. The solidarity which comes with economic cooperation may result in a broader EU-Russian agreement.
3. Cooperating in the fields of energy and climate with a view to mutually beneficial rapprochements. The energy relations between the EU and Russia are often reduced to the competition of gas and oil infrastructure projects, from the standpoint of diversified supply or Gazprom’s status. In order to broaden the outlook, it is necessary to work with institutions on which a cooperation may be based and developed- the Energy Dialogue (2000), The Early Warning Mechanism Agreement (2009), the EU-Russia Permanent Partnership Council (as part of the Energy Dialogues, with an energy roadmap by 2050). Cooperation may aim to sign an EU-Russia energy and climate treaty. In terms of gas, Europeans could provide capital, technology and outlets to Russians, in return for competitive and reliable supply. The financing of the development of hybrid-electric and biomass energy to heat Russia, combined with a dynamic saving policy, could enable this country to export more, while coming closer to its objectives related to the signature of the Paris Climate Agreement. The completion of regional energy projects would also enhance local powers and trust in the democratic experiment.