Est. 3min 02-09-2008 (updated: 28-05-2012 ) barroso_flags.jpg Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Languages: Français | DeutschPrint Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram European Union leaders decided to delay talks on a wide-ranging partnership and cooperation agreement with Moscow in response to Russia’s “unacceptable” military incursion in Georgia, delaying possible further steps until a later date. The talks were due to begin on 16 September, under the leadership of the European Commission on the EU’s behalf, and focus on the replacement of a 1997 Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) which governs trade and wider economic relations between Europe and Moscow. “Until troops have withdrawn to the positions held prior to 7 August, meetings on the negotiation of the Partnership Agreement will be postponed,” EU leaders said in the summit conclusions. The EU was anxious to present a united front at the emergency summit convened by French President and current EU chair Nicolas Sarkozy to review the situation in Georgia and relations with Moscow. Speaking after the summit on Monday (1 September), European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said: “It is clear that in the light of events, we cannot continue as if nothing had happened.” In their summit conclusions, EU leaders said they “strongly condemn Russia’s unilateral decision to recognise the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” describing the decision as “unacceptable”. French President Nicolas Sarkozy adopted a firm tone: “We must say that Russian behaviour over the last few weeks – its disproportionate response and its recognition of the two entities that declared independence – has caused considerable concern in Europe and beyond.” In a further condemnation, Sarkozy said the EU could take further steps if Russia did not fulfil its obligations under the six-point peace plan negotiated by the French EU Presidency in August. “We will get together and make another decision” if this happens, Sarkozy stressed, explaining that the bloc favoured a “step-by-step” approach in its response to the crisis. The heads of state did not, however, fully suspend the talks with Russia, as re-launching them at a later stage would have required another unanimous decision, a consensus which would have been difficult to reach in view of the hostility of some EU member countries towards Russia. Unless one of the sides withdraws from the pact, it is renewed automatically every year. They also shied away from imposing immediate sanctions or tougher measures against Moscow. Instead, they agreed to send “a fact-finding mission” to help gather information and “define the modalities for an increased European Union commitment on the ground under the European Security and Defence Policy”. Read more with Euractiv Summit to test Europe's unity over Russia European leaders will try to put on a united front during a summit in Brussels today (1 September) that will review the EU's relations with Moscow following the conflict in Georgia. But sanctions are off the agenda for now. PositionsSpeaking after the summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: "Everyone has acted in the spirit of responsibility. No one has lived out their most extreme positions. There was a clear commitment to come out with a common position. All of us knew what was at stake." Sanctions against Russia never played a role in the talks, Merkel added. She also made clear that freezing the talks over a new partnership agreement was only linked to point five of the truce agreement struck by Sarkozy, which calls for the complete withdrawal of Russian forces from the Georgian "heartland". With regard to sending an EU observatory mission to Georgia, Merkel was sceptical that this could be done as quickly, speaking in favour of a continuation of the current OSCE mission. Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi adopted a conciliatory tone, defending the reaction by Moscow. "We managed to avoid the use of the word disproportionate [in the summit conclusions]," Berlusconi told journalists after the summit. He added that he wondered what would have been a proportionate reaction to "the killing of 80 Russian peacekeeping soldiers". He went further, saying the EU had to "respect Russian sensibility on some issues" and stressed that Russia provided "several guarantees that they will withdraw their troops". Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski described the summit as "a Polish success", while Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised the personal contribution of President Lech Kaczynski for introducing significant changes to the conclusions drafted by the French. According to Kaczynski, those changes included a mention of energy policy in the conclusions and the fact that the upcoming EU-Ukraine summit in Evian on 9 September will gather European leaders and not only the EU Troika. Kaczynski also hailed Poland's influence on linking the start of negotiations on a new EU-Russia basic treaty to Russia's full implementation of the peace plan. "We were not alone – we were acting within a group of countries bigger than the Baltic States and Poland. I would also mention the Czech Republic, Sweden and the UK," Kaczynski said. Tusk was more direct in criticising the French draft conclusions. "With the mutual effort of other countries we have been able to push away the threat of having a Conclusion document which does not give us anything, and there are politicians in Europe who would rather have conclusions which do not manifest anything," Tusk said. Asked by EURACTIV if Poland was now more in favour of the Lisbon Treaty, Kaczynski said that indeed, several EU leaders had mentioned informally that the Lisbon Treaty would have given the EU better instruments to deal with the Georgian crisis. "The situation we are facing today is the following: Ireland has to hold a new referendum, but when – I don't know that," Kaczynski said. Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili praised the EU and the US for their reaction to the crisis. "I could have never imagined that we would ever have such support from Germany or France. I could have never imagined that the freedom of Georgia would ever become such a big issue in the United States," he said during a gathering on 1 September in Tbilisi, considered to be the largest since the 'Rose Revolution' in 2003. "I expect that Europe will support the territorial integrity of Georgia and will say that they will never recognise the results of this illegality […] We consider ourselves Europeans," said Saakashvili. Meanwhile, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev laid out what he said would become his government's guiding principles on foreign policy after the conflict with Georgia: a policy which notably includes a claim to a "privileged" sphere of influence in the world. Speaking to Russian television in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on 31 August, Medvedev said his government would adhere to five principles. Russia, he said, would observe international law. It would reject what he called US dominance of world affairs in a "unipolar" world. It would seek friendly relations with other nations. It would defend Russian citizens and business interests abroad. And it would claim a sphere of influence in the world. Talking to journalists after the summit, the Russian Ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizhov downplayed the EU's decision to delay talks on a new bilateral partnership agreement: "We don't need these talks or this new agreement any more than the EU does," Chizhov said, according to AFP. He described the decision as "more of a self punishment for the European Union" as it "missed a good opportunity to promote its strategic partnership with Russia by expressing solidarity (with Moscow) rather than supporting the aggressor which is in this case certainly Georgia." Speaking in Parliament after the summit, Joseph Daul, the chairman of the centre-right EPP-ED Group, stressed that the crisis highlighted the need for the EU to diversify its energy supplies. He also called for the establishment of a European defence policy to be prioritised, stressing that the Lisbon Treaty would help on this point. BackgroundEU leaders were meeting on 1 September in Brussels to review the situation in Georgia and their relations with Moscow after a brief war erupted in August between Tbilisi and Moscow. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country currently holds the rotating EU Presidency, helped broker a cease-fire agreement, in which Russia agreed to withdraw all its troops to their pre-war positions by 22 August. On 25 August, Russia announced that its withdrawal was complete, but the West kept pressuring Moscow for a full withdrawal. Timeline 8 Sept. 2008: Visit to Moscow by EU delegation comprising Nicolas Sarkozy (French President and current EU chair), José Manuel Barroso (Commission President) and Javier Solana (EU foreign policy chief). Further ReadingEU official documents European Council:Summit conclusions(1 Sept. 2008) FR FR DE French Presidency:Extraordinary European Council meeting on the situation in Georgia(1 Sept. 2008) FR FR DE Council of the EU:Summary of remarks by Javier Solana(1 Sept. 2008) Governments German government:Kaukasus-Gipfel: EU zeigt sich einig und geschlossen President of Georgia:The President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili’s address to the population of Georgia President of Russia:Interview given by Dmitry Medvedev to Television Channels Channel One, Rossia, NTV Press articles BBC:EU's show of unity over Georgia FT:EU warning on new accord with Russia IHT:EU leaders issue another warning to Russia Bloomberg:EU, Dependent on Russian Energy, Balks at Georgia War Sanctions Guardian:Relations with Russia at crossroads, say EU leaders Reuters:EU threatens to postpone talks on Russian pact Deutsche Welle:EU pledges support for Georgia BBC:EU suspends talks on Russia pact Bloomberg:EU, dependant on Russian energy, balks at Georgia war sanctions AP:EU leaders warn Russia over partnership talks Kiyv Post, Ukraine:Georgia crisis defined new Russian policy ITAR-TASS, Russia:Medvedev, Sarkozy to meet in Moscow Sept 8 Daily Georgian Times:EU suspended talks on Russia Pact Nouvel Observateur:Partenariat UE/Russie : les négociations sont ajournées Le Point :Le partenariat Russie-UE remis en cause AFP :Géorgie: plus ferme que prévu, l'UE gèle un accord de partenariat avec Moscou AFP:Russian newspapers hail 'victory' after EU summit
