MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the EU-Russia Summit

The European Parliament,

–       having regard to its previous resolutions on Russia,

–       having regard to the existing Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Russian Federation, of the other part, and the negotiations initiated in 2008 on a new EU-Russia Agreement, as well as to the ‘Partnership for Modernisation’ initiated in 2010,

–       having regard to the objective shared by the EU and Russia, set out in the joint statement issued on 31 May 2003 following the 11th EU-Russia Summit held in St Petersburg, of creating a common economic space, a common space of freedom, security and justice, a common space of cooperation in the field of external security and a common space of research and education, including cultural aspects (the ‘four common spaces’),

–       having regard to the EU-Russia summit of 3-4 June 2013,

–       having regard to the EU-Russia human rights consultations of 28 November 2013,

–       having regard to the Eastern Partnership Summit of 28 and 29 November 2013,

–       having regard to the statement by President Barroso following the EU-Russia Summit of 28 January 2014,

–       having regard to the remarks by the President of the European Council following the EU-Russia summit of 28 January 2014,

–       having regard to the Joint EU-Russia statement of 28 January 2014 on combating terrorism,

–       having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.     whereas the EU continues to be committed to further deepening and developing its relations with Russia and to the principles enshrined in the Partnership for Modernisation, which are based on common interests and a deep commitment to universal values and democratic principles, respect for fundamental human rights, and the rule of law;

B.     whereas concerns remain about Russia’s respect for and protection of fundamental and human rights, democratic values and the rule of law;

C.     whereas good-neighbourly relations, peace and stability in their common neighbouring countries are in the interests of both Russia and the EU;

D.     whereas Eastern Partnership countries have the full sovereign right and freedom to build relations, as equal partners, with partners of their choice, in line with the Helsinki Accords;

E.     whereas recent events prove that the borderisation process in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia has increased rapidly and become extremely aggressive; whereas since 17 September 2013 the Russian occupation forces have resumed the installation of barbed wire fences along the occupation line in the Tskhinvali region, and in particular in the village of Ditsi in the Gori district;

F.     whereas the area of occupied territory is being expanded by several hundred metres in several places at the expense of Georgian territory;

1.      Notes that the EU-Russia summit of 28 January 2014 was an opportunity to reflect on the nature and direction of the EU-Russia Strategic Partnership, and to discuss common interests as well as differences in light of recent developments, including the respective regional economic integration initiatives, the common neighbourhood, trade questions and WTO commitments, as well as other international commitments including those in the areas of rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms, and key foreign affairs challenges such as Syria and Iran;

2.      Believes that Russia remains one of the European Union’s most important partners in building strategic cooperation, but for this cooperation to be successful differences need to be discussed and clarified;

3.      Regrets that no progress has been made in the negotiations on a new Agreement to replace the current PCA; reminds the EU of its recommendations to the Council, the Commission and the European External Action Service on the negotiations of the new EU-Russia Agreement; urges Russia to engage in the trade negotiations for the trade chapter of the new Agreement in a substantial manner;

4.      Welcomes the adoption of the Joint EU-Russia statement on combatting terrorism on 28 January 2014, in which the EU and Russia agreed to consider possibilities for further strengthening cooperation in response to crimes committed by terrorists and organised crime, to expand cooperation in exchanging best practices in counter-terrorism and training experts in counter-terrorism, and to intensify their cooperation within the UN framework as well as other multilateral fora;

5.      Underlines the importance of the Partnership for Modernisation, which is a shared agenda to help bring about economic and institutional reform;

6.      Calls on Russia to comply with all its obligations deriving from its accession to the WTO and to fully implement its WTO commitments; calls for the timely elimination of trade barriers, such as recycling fees on motor vehicles, as well as remaining barriers to bilateral trade and investment;

7.      Calls on Russia not to impose import bans on products from EU Member States; stresses that these import bans not only harm bilateral relations between individual Member States and Russia, but also harm EU-Russia relations;

8.      Welcomes the EU-Russia Common Spaces Progress Reports which outline progress, or regress, in the implementation of the EU-Russia Common Spaces and of the road maps adopted in 2005; especially supports cooperation in the field of research and development and stresses that the four Common Spaces rely on the principle of reciprocity;

9.      Stresses the importance of energy security and emphasises that the supply of natural resources should not be used as a political tool; stresses the mutual importance of collaboration in the field of energy, which represents an opportunity for further trade and economic collaboration in an open and transparent market, with full understanding for the EU’s need to diversify transportation channels and energy providers; stresses that the principles of interdependence and transparency should be the basis of such cooperation, together with equal access to markets, infrastructure and investment; calls for EU-Russia cooperation in energy to be based firmly on the principles of the internal market, including the Third Energy Package, in particular with regard to third-party access, as well as the Energy Charter Treaty; is convinced that full acceptance of the principles of the ECT by Russia would have mutually beneficial effects on bilateral energy relations; calls for close cooperation between the EU and Russia regarding the supply of raw materials and rare earths, especially those that are considered critical, and calls for respect for international rules, especially WTO rules;

10.    Calls on Russia to implement the fundamental principles of democracy, the rule of law and human rights, and welcomes the recent cases of amnesty; underlines the importance of the freedoms of assembly, expression and association; is concerned about the independence of the judiciary and the situation of civil society, human rights defenders and opposition leaders;

11.    Notes the ongoing negotiations on an upgraded visa facilitation agreement, which would extend the categories of beneficiaries of visa facilitation inter alia to representatives of civil society organisations and a broader spectrum of family members; notes that the implementation of the ‘Common Steps towards visa-free short-term travel’, launched at the Summit in December 2011, is underway;

12.    Stresses that regular political dialogue meetings on a wide range of foreign policy issues are an essential element in EU-Russia relations; states that Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, must assume its responsibility in international crises; calls on Russia to take a very constructive approach at the Geneva II Conference on Syria, where the aim is to achieve a political solution to the conflict;

13.    Is convinced that further political and economic reform in Eastern Partnership countries, including Ukraine, based on EU values and standards, is ultimately in Russia’s own interest, as it would expand the zone of stability, prosperity and cooperation along its borders; recalls the EU’s standing invitation for Russia to contribute to this process via constructive engagement with the Eastern Partnership countries; opposes Russia’s intention to continue to consider the Eastern Partnership region as its sphere of influence; believes that Ukrainian citizens alone should have the right to decide the future of their country;

14.    Calls on Russia to refrain from exerting pressure on Ukraine, as pressure was exerted before the European Partnership Summit in Vilnius at which the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement was supposed to be signed;

15.    Strongly condemns the process of borderisation in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, which has led to the expansion of the area of occupied territories at the expense of Georgia;

16.    Strongly condemns the expansion of the security zone created around Socchi into the occupied territory of Abkhazia, thus dividing it into two parts;

17.    Calls on Russia to reverse its recognition of the separation of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, to end the occupation of those Georgian territories and to fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia as well as the inviolability of its internationally recognised borders as provided for by international law, the UN Charter, the Final Act of the Helsinki Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe and the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions; calls on Georgia and Russia to engage in direct talks without preconditions on a range of subjects, with mediation, if needed, by a mutually acceptable third party, which should complement, but not replace, the existing Geneva process;

18.    Calls on the Russian Federation to fulfil the commitments made in 1996 in the Council of Europe and reflected in OSCE Summit decisions (Istanbul, 1999 and Oporto, 2002) concerning the withdrawal of Russian troops and arms from the territory of Moldova; expresses concern over the lack of progress on this issue; underlines the fact that all sides of the 5+2 talks have committed to solving the conflict on the basis of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova; calls, therefore, for the establishment of a civilian peace-keeping mission in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova;

19.    Calls on the High Representative to devote more attention to the 5+2 format negotiations and to intensify her dialogue with the Russian representatives on this issue, in order to achieve a comprehensive and peaceful solution to the Transnistrian conflict;

20.    Appeals to the Russian authorities to cooperate in opening up Russian archives, enabling access to researchers and declassifying relevant documents that might cast light on the fate of numerous persons who were imprisoned by Soviet security services at the end of World War II, including that of Raoul Wallenberg, who 70 years ago saved thousands of Hungarian Jews from genocide;

21.    Welcomes the work of the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee as a platform for the development of cooperation and for continued dialogue between the two parliamentary institutions;

22.    Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the governments and parliaments of the Eastern Partnership countries, the President, Government and Parliament of the Russian Federation, the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.