A new start? EU-Russia summit raises expectations

The arrival of a new government in Poland has sparked optimism that Friday’s (26 October) EU-Russia summit will produce progress on a new partnership agreement. But other points of contention remain, particularly in the energy sector, and the extent to which Poland’s new leaders will change their stance on Russia remains unclear.

• Poland’s veto

The purpose of the current EU-Russia partnership agreement, signed in 1997, is “to provide a basis for economic, social, financial and cultural cooperation founded on the principles of mutual advantage, mutual responsibility and mutual support”.

The agreement, which also promotes investment and is designed to pave the way to the creation of an eventual free trade area, is set to expire at the end of 2007. 

Poland has vetoed a new EU-Russia partnership agreement, however, due to a Russian ban on Polish meat imports, which Poland says is politically motivated and has nothing to do with health standards. 

The outcome of this week’s parliamentary elections in Poland, which signalled the arrival of a potentially more moderate, conciliatory government, has fuelled speculation that the deadlock may be broken.

But Portugal’s ambassador to Russia told reporters in Moscow on 22 October that “the mandate [to end the veto] is unlikely to be provided” by Poland, which has yet to officially form a new government.

Russia’s ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, also confirmed that it was too early to expect a significant change in Poland’s position. Speaking to reporters in Brussels on 23 October, Chizhov said he does not expect “any historic breakthroughs” at the summit, to be held on 26 October in Mafra, Portugal.

The ambassador, who remarked that relations with Poland’s outgoing government under Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski “couldn’t get much worse”, was optimistic about the future. Chizhov expects “an increase in the degree of common sense” in Poland’s attitude towards Russia, he said.

• Energy relations

The Commission’s proposal on protecting EU energy infrastructure from control by third countries through a clause that obliges foreign firms to ‘unbundle’ their production and transmission activities before they are allowed to obtain a controlling stake in European energy companies is “hardly compatible with principles of an open market”, Chizhov told reporters in response to questions about Russia’s position on the issue.

Russia and the EU have set up a special expert group to study the issue (EURACTIV 17/10/07) and it is expected to be a point of contention at the summit.

A new ‘early warning system’ (EWS) to avert future energy supply crises will also be discussed at the summit. But the EWS, the modalities of which will be made public on 26 October, will be a ‘political’ agreement and will not be legally binding, according to sources inside the Commission, casting doubts on the likely effectiveness of the mechanism.

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