The Union and Russia are holding their first meeting at ministerial level since the Georgia crisis erupted on 7 August, which is "not bad news", the EU executive's energy spokesperson Ferran Tarradellas told EurActiv.
The two sides are to meet in a so-called 'Permanent Partnership Council' (PCC), with participants including French Ecology Minister Jean-Louis Borloo, his Russian colleague Sergei Shmatko and EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs.
"The Commission welcomes the fact that this PPC is taking place," Tarradellas said. "It is the first time that the dialogue is taking place with a new administration, with the election of Mr. Medvedev as president and Mr. Putin as prime minister."
"This proves there is continuity in the EU-Russia energy dialogue. Second, this is the first EU-Russia ministerial since the crisis in Georgia, which proves that even if the [negotiation on the new] Partnership and Cooperation Agreement is on hold, after the question of Georgia, it does not mean there is no dialogue with Russia," he added.
On the agenda is a discussion about "strategies and scenarios," which include a review of energy demand in the EU and the expected corresponding levels of production required from the Russian side, as well as long-term planning in terms of infrastructure.
Under "development of markets," the two sides will discuss their respective energy market legislations as the EU prepares to formalise the adoption of its third energy market liberalisation package (EurActiv 20/09/07). Under "energy efficiency", the two sides are expected to exchange information on achievements, technologies, the regulatory framework and common projects.
A second PPC, to take place in Paris next week, will focus on the area of freedom, justice and security and a third PPC will take place before the end of the month at the level of foreign ministers in St. Petersburg.
On this occasion, Russian Ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizhov expressed his hope that negotiations of the future EU-Russia agreement, which were put on hold by the extraordinary EU Council meeting following the Georgia crisis (EurActiv 02/09/08), would resume before the end of October.
An EU-Russia summit, with the participation of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, is scheduled to take place on 14 November in Nice.
Today, Medvedev and his French colleague Nicolas Sarkozy are meeting in Evian on the occasion of the World Policy conference, a forum focusing on sustainable development. They are expected to discuss the settlement of the Georgia crisis as well as bilateral issues. The Russian agency Itar-Tass quoted Medvedev's aide Segei Prihodko as saying that the bilateral partnership was developing "rather successfully".
