Leiders EU en Rusland blikken vooruit op top bijeenkomst (en)

The 26th EU i - Russia Summit will take place in Brussels on 7 December 2010. The Summit will be hosted by Mr Herman van Rompuy i, President of the European Council i, and by Mr José Manuel Barroso i, President of the European Commission. The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy i, Mrs Catherine Ashton i, and Trade Commissioner i Karel de Gucht i will also attend the Summit. The Russian side will be represented by President Dmitri Medvedev i, accompanied by the Foreign Minister of Russia, Mr Sergey Lavrov.

Discussions are expected to focus on common challenges facing both the EU and Russia, such as the global economic situation and climate change. Bilateral relations will be reviewed, including the Partnership for Modernisation. Topical regional and international issues will also featured on the Summit agenda.

Ahead of the the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy declared:

"I am pleased to meet again President Medvedev. This Summit will give us an excellent opportunity to discuss the follow-up to the G-20 i meeting in Seoul and the economic recovery. We will also discuss progress on our bilateral agenda, including among others Russia WTO i accession, visa issues, our common neighbourhood and human rights."

The President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso said:

"I am looking forward to a successful Summit, with tangible progress in key areas: We just achieved a bilateral breakthrough on Russia's WTO accession and strongly support Russia's efforts to become a member in 2011. This will strengthen trade and investment and contribute to shared economic growth. It should also give new momentum to our talks on a New EU-Russia Agreement. We will also give further impulses to our Partnership for Modernization, which is key in supporting political and economic reforms in Russia."