EU en Rusland sluiten nieuwe samenwerkingsovereenkomst (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU leaders and Russia's top brass have adopted a detailed roadmap on the future of their strategic partnership.

The document is a non-binding commitment for both parts to follow a detailed list of steps in the creation of four common spaces in the fields of the "Economy", "External Security", "Freedom, Security and Justice" and "Education, Research and Culture".

"The process of forming a great Europe following the fall of the Berlin wall continues", said Russian President Vladimir Putin in a statement, according to Reuters. "We want a Europe without dividing lines", he added.

"We have not agreed on everything, but we have a very good understanding of our respective positions", said a more cautious President of the European Commission President José Manuel Barroso.

One of the continuing sticking points on the roadmap is the creation of a visa facilitation scheme though, which would ease up travel rules for EU diplomats and businessmen visting Russia.

Visa discussions are set to continue, but will now be tied in with repatriation rules for non-EU and non-Russian citizens who transit through Russia to reach central and Western Europe - a decision contested by Russian diplomacy in the past.

The visa facilitation negotiations are a stepping stone to visa free travel for citizens of the two blocs, but for that to happen, bilateral border disputes with Latvia and Estonia have to be resolved first.

"You cannot have a visa free regime if you don't have a clear border", a commission spokesperson said.

Estonia and Latvia are set to sign bilateral border agreements with Russia "as soon as possible", she added.

Estonia and Russia have reportedly tabled the signing of the treaty for 18 May, but Latvia's agreement is on ice due to a last-minute political declaration condemning the Soviet occupation of the region after Wolrd War II.

"The decision now rests with the Russians. We have not heard from Mr Lavrov in the past few days", Latvian deputy EU Ambassador Eduards Stiprais noted.

Another bone of contention in the past few days was the Russian state's subsidies to trans-Siberian national airlines such as Aeroflot, worth 233 million euro a year.

Both parties have agreed that a phase-out of such practices should be completed by no later than 2013, as they are in violation of WTO rules.

The 60-page document will be made available online tonight on the Luxembourg presidency's website.