Top EU-Rusland zal gaan over globale economie en klimaatverandering (en)

The European Union is hosting the forthcoming 26th EU-Russia Summit in Brussels on 7 December 2010. The EU will be represented by Herman Van Rompuy i, President of the European Council and José Manuel Barroso i, President of the European Commission. Russia will be represented by President Dmitry Medvedev. The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton i, Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht i and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, will also attend the summit.

Summit Agenda

Global economic environment

The summit will discuss the global economy, following up on the Summits in Rostov-on-Don and Stockholm. With a strong common interest to co-operate on efforts to stimulate the recovery, the leaders are expected to discuss the implementation of decisions made at the Seoul G20 Summit, the opportunities for reform, innovation and sustainable growth, and exit strategies.

Climate change

The global challenge of climate change is also on the agenda. Leaders will discuss the state of affairs at the Cancun conference, which will enter its decisive phase when the Summit takes place.

EU-Russia relations

Under this cluster, discussions are likely to cover, inter alia, Russia’s WTO accession process, the new EU-Russia Agreement, the Partnership for Modernisation, energy issues, human rights, and visa issues. The leaders are also expected to discuss stability in the common neighbourhood and the importance of working towards a lasting solution to the protracted conflicts, as well as the shared interest to further develop their cooperation on crisis management.

Regional and international issues

Under this item, the leaders will discuss the Iranian nuclear programme, the follow-up of the OSCE Summit held in Astana on 1-2 December, Nagorno-Karabakh and the Transnistrian frozen conflict.

EU-Russia relations

The EU and Russia are not only neighbours but also strategic partners, based on the respect of joint commitments.

The forthcoming Brussels meeting will be the second EU-Russia Summit organized since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. The meeting will provide an opportunity to strengthen the EU-Russia strategic partnership and to build on the momentum gained at the previous summit, in Rostov-on-Don (31 May - 1 June 2010), where a joint statement on the "Partnership for Modernisation" was adopted.

EU-Russia relations are based on the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) which entered into force on 1 December 1997. The PCA aims to promote political dialogue, trade and investment as well as social, financial and cultural cooperation.

Since July 2008, negotiations are under way for a New EU-Russia Agreement, which will replace the PCA. When in force, the New Agreement will provide a solid basis for deepened bilateral relations in the 21st century, covering all areas of EU-Russia relations.

At the St. Petersburg Summit in May 2003, the EU and Russia agreed to reinforce their cooperation by creating four “common spaces” on the basis of common values and shared interests. Roadmaps to this effect were adopted in May 2005, on:

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  the Common Economic Space (CES) - aiming to make the EU and Russia’s economies more compatible to boost investment and trade;
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  the Common Space on Freedom, Security and Justice - covering the areas of Justice and Home Affairs;
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  the Common Space on External Security - aiming to enhance cooperation on foreign policy and security issues; and
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  the Common Space on Research, Education and Culture - aiming to promote scientific, educational and cultural cooperation.

At the Summit in Rostov-on-Don, the two parties launched a Partnership for Modernisation, which serves as a flexible framework for promoting reform, enhancing growth and raising competitiveness, while involving society at large. Rule of law, protection of citizens' rights and a level playing field for companies are key in this regard. The Partnership builds on the four Russia-EU Common Spaces and complements the partnerships for modernisation that exist between several EU Member States and Russia.

Twice-yearly human rights consultations have taken place since 2005, and allow open and frank exchanges of views on human rights issues in the EU and in Russia. The Brussels Summit will take note of the latest round of consultations, which took place on 17 November this year.