6 EU Common Strategy on Russia
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| EU-Russia: Road Maps for the Common Economic Space, the Common Space of Freedom, Security and Justice, the Common Space of External Security and the Common Space on Research, Education and Culture
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| Legal base | — |
| Department | Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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| Basis of consideration | EM and Minister's letter of 7 June 2005
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| Previous Committee Report | None; but see (25804) —: HC 42-xxvii (2003-04), para 17 (14 July 2004)
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| To be discussed in Council | To be determined
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | For debate in European Standing Committee B
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Background
Section 1.06 6.1 The Common Strategy instrument was created
by the Amsterdam Treaty, as the means of setting out the objectives,
overall policy guidelines, organisation and duration of the EU's
external policies towards geographic or thematic areas. The EU's
Common Strategy on Russia — its first — was adopted
at the June 1999 Cologne European Council, for a period of four
years. It had four objectives:
· encouraging
the democratic reform process in Russia;
· encouraging
economic reform;
· promoting
regional and global stability and security; and
· promoting
co-operation with Russia on areas of common concern such as international
crime and environmental questions.
Section 1.07 6.2 In July 2004, the Committee
considered a Council Report on the main lines of a proposed successor.
The Common Strategy had had limited success, being described by
the then Minister for Europe as "long and diffuse",
and not clearly signalling what the EU's specific priorities were.
It had never enjoyed any "buy-in" from Russia. And
it had been overtaken by developments elsewhere in the EU-Russia
relationship, culminating in the May 2003 St Petersburg EU-Russia
summit, which envisaged the development of relations instead taking
place within an Action Plan embracing four Common Spaces —
a common economic space (building on the notion of a Common European
Economic Space); a common space of freedom, security and justice;
a space of cooperation in the field of external security; and
a space of research and education. Work accordingly proceeded
on this proposal, within the framework of the Partnership and
Co-operation Agreement (PCA).
Section 1.08 6.3 The main lines of a Joint EU-Russia
Action Plan on the four "Common Spaces" were forwarded
to Russia in April 2004, for agreement at the May Moscow EU-Russia
summit. But, in July, Russia had yet to respond. Since it seemed
that lack of political will on the Russian side had limited progress
on the Common Strategy, and given the overlap between its four
objectives and the four Common Spaces, the previous Committee
could see no obvious reason why the latter was bound to be more
effective. It was concerned that the EU might be tempted to backslide
in some of the more contentious areas — especially in governance
issues — in order to make progress elsewhere. They accordingly
asked for information on those main lines forwarded to Russia.[21]
Section 1.09 6.4 The then Minister for Europe
responded in September 2004, not with that information, but to
say that the Presidency had forwarded Russia's response to Member
States, that the Government hoped it would be possible to agree
the main lines of an Action Plan and Road Maps for each of the
Four Spaces at the EU-Russia summit in November 2004, and that
he would ensure that when a final paper was put to the Council,
the Committee would be able to scrutinise it in good time before
approval. However, the Minister did not write again until 17
December 2004; with the current draft texts still under negotiation,
he said he was unable to forward them to the Committee, but would
write with a further update on developments in due course and
submit the Roadmaps for scrutiny when the negotiations had been
finalised. The previous Committee responded on 12 January 2005,
asking him what had happened to the promised paper. The Minister
replied on 8 March 2005 that "there may have been a misunderstanding
over the terminology used with regard to the Four Common Spaces.
The EU had originally envisaged one Action Plan covering activity
in the Four Common Spaces. However, Russia subsequently indicated
a preference for four Roadmaps, one covering each Common Space,
and it is on this basis that negotiations are currently proceeding".
The EU and Russia were now aiming to reach agreement before the
next summit in Moscow in May 2005; an Explanatory Memorandum on
the four Roadmaps would be submitted before their approval by
the Council.
Section 1.10 6.5 The Minister added that he was
"pleased to say that the first round of human rights consultations
between the EU and Russia will take place on 1 March. We very
much hope that this will be the first of a continuing dialogue
on human rights issues between the EU and Russia."
The Four Common Space Road Maps
Section 1.11 6.6 In his Explanatory Memorandum
of 7 June, the Minister for Europe (Mr Douglas Alexander) says
that "the Road Maps set out shared objectives for EU-Russia
relations as well as the actions necessary to make these objectives
a reality, and determine the agenda for co-operation between the
EU and Russia for the medium-term". He encloses the full
and very detailed, 38 page text of the four Road Maps agreed
at the 10 May 2005 EU-Russia Summit, which he helpfully summarises
as follows:
Common Economic Space
"The objective of the Common Economic Space
is to create an open and integrated market between the EU and
Russia. Work on this space will bring down barriers to trade and
investment and promote reform and competitiveness, based on the
principles of non-discrimination, transparency and good governance.
The wide range of actions in the road map include the establishment
of an EU-Russia regulatory dialogue on industrial products, as
well as greater co-operation on investment issues, competition
and financial services. The road map envisages enhanced co-operation
in the telecommunications, transport and energy fields, on issues
such as regulatory standard-setting and infrastructure development.
It also commits to strengthen co-operation on the environment,
notably on climate change and the implementation of the Kyoto
Protocol, and on outer space activities, such as space launching.
Common Space of Freedom, Security and Justice
"The underlying principles of the Common Space
of Freedom, Security and Justice are democracy, the rule of law,
respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including free
and independent media and the effective application of common
values by independent judicial systems. Implementation of this
space should lead to agreements on readmission and visa facilitation,
which together will promote greater contact between the citizens
of the EU and Russia via travel and tourism and will facilitate
business and official travel. The EU will continue to examine
with Russia the conditions for visa-free travel as a long-term
perspective. The regular EU-Russia consultations on human rights,
which were successfully launched in March, fall within this space,
as does co-operation on combating terrorism, organised crime and
corruption.
Common Space of External Security
"The road map for the Common Space of External
Security underlines the shared responsibility of the EU and Russia
for an international order based on effective multilateralism,
their determination to co-operate to strengthen the central role
of the United Nations, and to promote the role and effectiveness
of relevant international and regional organisations, in particular
the OSCE and the Council of Europe. Building further on their
existing co-operation, the EU and Russia will strengthen their
co-operation and dialogue on security and crisis management in
order to address the global and regional challenges and key threats
of today, notably terrorism, the proliferation of [Weapons of
Mass Destruction], existing and potential regional and local conflicts.
They will give particular attention to securing international
stability, including in the common neighbourhood, where they will
co-operate to promote resolution of frozen conflicts (e.g. in
Transnistria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh), in
line with UN and OSCE commitments. The EU will continue to provide
support through humanitarian assistance, economic rehabilitation,
confidence building and efforts to tackle poverty and human rights
abuses.
Common Space on Research, Education and Culture
"Work to create the Common Space of Research
and Education, including Cultural aspects, aims to capitalise
on the strength of EU and Russian research communities and cultural
and intellectual heritage by identifying key measures to promote
economic growth and strengthen competitiveness, reinforce links
between research and innovation, encourage close co-operation
in the field of education — including the convergence of
university course formats and qualifications — and promote
cultural and linguistic diversity. A European institute in Moscow,
co-funded by the EU and Russia, is to be set up in 2006."
The Government's view
6.7 The Minister says:
"The Government welcomes the conclusion of negotiations
on the Four Common Spaces. For the first time in the EU-Russia
relationship the EU and Russia have agreed a joint list of priority
areas for co-operation. The challenge now will be to press ahead
with implementing the agreements reached, and to ensure that they
deliver practical benefits to the EU and Russia alike. During
the UK's Presidency of the EU, we will work closely together with
other EU Member States and Russia to secure greater co-operation
within the framework of the Four Common Spaces. The EU-Russia
Summit, planned for the autumn, will provide an opportunity to
cement progress."
Section 1.12 6.8 Describing the Road Maps as
"an agenda for co-operation between the EU and Russia for
the medium term", the Minister says that funding in 2004-2006
will come mostly from the EC's TACIS programme,[22]
and from the start of 2007 "mostly from the proposed new
European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI), which
is being considered as part of the wider negotiations on the next
Financial Perspective".
Section 1.13 6.9 Finally, he says that because
the Road Maps "are political documents [and] not legally
binding agreements", they "will not be put formally
to the Council for approval, but will be submitted for the Council
to take note".
Conclusion
Section 1.14 6.10 The Road Maps are nonetheless
very important documents; as the Minister says, they represent
"a framework for the EU's relations with Russia", which
are self-evidently of immense importance. The Common Strategy
was judged to have failed because it did not set priorities and
lacked political commitment. Progress has been made, to the extent
that a joint list of priorities has been agreed, across a very
wide agenda. Arguably, however, the relationship should aspire
to somewhat more than "practical benefits". The challenge
is likely to be in making progress in those areas that tend to
be grouped under the notion of "shared values" and which
revolve around "good governance", but which nonetheless
have a real bearing on the attainment of long-term practical benefits.
The next milestone will be the EU-Russia Summit in the autumn,
in which the UK will have a particular interest by virtue of its
Presidency role. Although we do not wish the Minister to hold
up agreement in the Council, and will not regard participation
in taking note of the Road Maps as a breach of the scrutiny reserve
resolution, we nonetheless recommend that the document be debated
in European Standing Committee B, in time for the Government to
be aware of the views of the House ahead of that Summit.
21 25804 - ; see HC 42-xxvii (2003-04), para 17 (14
July 2004). Back
22
Launched by the EC in 1991, the TACIS Programme provides grant-financed
technical assistance to 12 countries of Eastern Europe and Central
Asia (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan),
and mainly aims at enhancing the transition process in these countries. Back
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