Interfax's Interview

EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana spoke about the prospects of relations EU with Russia in an exclusive interview with Interfax.

Is the EU ready to give to the Commission a mandate to negotiate with Russia a new cooperation agreement? Have the last obstacles been lifted?

There is a strong consensus within the EU that the negotiations for the new agreement, to replace the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement from 1994, should start as soon as possible. This is clearly in the interest of both the EU and Russia. After the lifting on the Russian ban on Polish meat and plant products, there are now just a few practical issues left to sort out. This is currently being done, and I am confident that we will be able to start negotiations in the nearest future.

Russia and the European Union have changed a lot since 1994, but the present agreement is still the basis for their relation. What is missing?  What is the added value that we expect in the new agreement?

The current agreement was negotiated soon after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Russia as a state was then only a few years old, and the EU of today is also very different from that of the early 1990s. The scope and extent of our co-operation has also expanded a great deal since the agreement was signed; the large number of sectoral agreements that complement the existing agreement testify to that, just as the creation of the four Common Spaces with their roadmaps three years ago. The new agreement should reflect the changes in both Russia and the EU, and lay a good ground for the very wide and diverse co-operation that we have today, and which we want to expand further in the years to come.

EU Member States have their own bilateral relations with Russia and specific national interests. They sometimes have different approaches concerning cooperation with Moscow. Isn't there a risk that the new agreement would be "the lowest common denominator"? 

It is true that most member States have strong bilateral links to Russia, as they have with any major international partner. This is ultimately something very positive, because the more ties link us together - at all levels - the stronger our relationship will be. The same applies for Russia too - the better its bilateral relations with our Member States are, the better the prospects for EU-Russia relations. I do not see a risk of the new agreement becoming "the lowest common denominator". Our relations with Russia are essential and much is at stake. I am sure that the negotiating process will reveal greater unity both within the EU and between the EU and Russia. 

Does the EU want to include security of supply in the text of the new agreement? According to you what should be changed or improved in energy cooperation with Russia? 

The whole complex of energy-related issues is one of the most important elements of our relations with Russia. It is an area where our interdependence is very strong, and it is only natural that this should be reflected in the new agreement. Security of supply is certainly a very important issue for the EU, and something that we will continue to raise with our Russian partners. But it would be too early to talk already now, before negotiations have even started, about what kind of provisions will be put in the agreement.

In a recent report on the challenges of climate change you referred to the possibility of an increased competition between international actors to have access to natural resources of polar regions. Can that problem be solved in the framework of the new EU-Russia agreement?

Our shared obligation to address climate change, which concerns us both in equal measure, is an excellent opportunity for the EU and Russia to work constructively together. The European Union recognizes that it cannot have an effective environmental policy without co-operation with Russia. Only together and with our other international partners can we succeed. The same applies to security-related risks of climate change. We need to discuss them and see how we can act together. Concerning the international legal framework for the Arctic, the message of my report was to focus on implementing existing agreements and, where necessary, to further strengthen the legal framework. Clearly a well-functioning relationship with Russia, built on partnership and mutual confidence, will make it easier to handle these issues.

The issue of democratic values and human rights divides sometimes the EU Member States and Russia.  At the same time, they are "condemned" to work together. Will the new agreement be about "values" or about "real politik"?  Is the EU changing its approach compared to the nineties?

Both EU Member States and Russia have signed up to the texts, which define the basic European values, such as the European Convention on Human Rights and the Helsinki Charter. A reference to these texts is included in the current agreement and I see no reason not to include such references also in the new agreement. I do not think Russia will object. These are the values, which define what it means to be European.

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