Dialogues Or Multilateral Consensus

EU And Russia View Their Cooperation Prospects Differently

Russia and the European Union can begin their negotiations to reach an agreement on strategic partnership at the summit meeting to take place at the end of June in Khanty-Mansiisk. This was disclosed by Kristina Gallyak, the secretary for Xavier Solana, the EU’s High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. The EU Council has finally endorsed the Union’s mandate for such negotiations. Ahead of the summit meeting, the fourth International Forum Europe-Russia, organized by the Institute of Eastern Studies Polish Fund, was held in May at the Sagliviati Palace in Rome. The forum highlighted the respective approaches of Europe and Russia toward the major world issues.

The forum in Rome became particularly significant in view of the Russian presidential elections this spring and this country’s parliamentary vote last December. Therefore, its participants were able to focus in detail on the significance of those elections for the business community. To all appearances, consolidation of strategic partnership with Russia will remain at the top of priorities for the European Union during the next presidencies at the community, particularly from the viewpoint of establishing a more effective energy dialogue based on a document that is supposed to replace the last Agreement on cooperation and partnership.

Europe New and Old

Adrian Severin, the head of the parliamentary delegation Europe-Ukraine, opened the debate at the forum. In his view, the attitude of the EU nations towards Russia is equivocal. Donald Rumsfeld, for example, believes that the European Union has divided into new and old member countries – the so-called Russo-phobes and Russo-philes. But it is clear that for Europe Russia is and has been a strategic partner in the field of economy as well as in the sphere of politics and security.

Konstantin Simonov of the National Energy Security Fund presented at the forum the structure and the main points from his report on the situation in Russia. His statements served as the basis for subsequent debates. In his view, Russia’s energy policy has become an important element of the country’s foreign policy. He pointed out that Russia’s energy policy has become an important component of its foreign policy. According to Konstantin Simonov there’s every reason to talk about “energy-leaning” foreign policy of Russia. Nevertheless, Russia regards the European Union as it major partner and therefore, in keeping with his report, the European projects aimed at diversification of energy sources supplies are unwarranted. The forum clearly voiced certain differences in the perception of strategic cooperation of Europe with Russia among the so-called old and new EU members.

Different Levels of Energy Security

Laos Alach, the deputy executive director of the Hungarian oil and gas concern MOL drew his listeners’ attention to the fact that almost 90 percent of energy supplies to Central Europe depend directly on Russian deliveries of oil and gas, while the situation in the states of Western Europe is completely different as they can dispose of far more considerable oil reserves (in Asia, Africa and in the North Sea). This guarantees them a more assured political and energy security by comparison with the new member-states of the European Union. Laos Alach proposed linking channels of energy supplies and integrate the European energy market. However, there is a problem with reaching a consensus on the issue of priority lists of values in different parts of the European Union.

Ahmet Meut Uilmaz, Turkey’s former prime minister spoke of Russia’s relations with the EU from the viewpoint of Turkey which takes an unbiased look at these relations. He noted that Russia’s policy is aimed at seeking allies, like Italy’s ENI or other energy companies outside the political arena. Therefore Ksistof Licek, Poland’s parliamentary commission chairman on foreign affairs, drew a conclusion that Europe and Russia still have a long way to go to reach strategic partnership which is perceived as sharing common values. So far, he said, there is only agreement on cooperation in certain areas.

By the general consensus among western participants of the forum, predictable energy prices should become the main objective of the European Union. The energy policies of certain countries of the European Union may differ from the policies of other EU member states. But the community as a whole should develop a uniform strategy of energy security. So far, each EU state takes care of its own interests without taking into account the overall strategy of energy security common to the European Union. A strategy adopted by the EU meeting in Lisbon envisages solidarity on this issue. The most important thing, the strategy proclaimed, is to ensure integration of all channels into a system of energy supplies. This implies that if any EU member state should cease energy deliveries to another member state, the EU should be called upon to ensure the needed energy supplies. Europe needs to have a sufficient number of pipelines as it views diversification of energy supplies a matter of utmost importance. The next essential element concerns the rules guiding competition. Such rules should be enforced for businesses that do not belong to the European Union.

In this connection, Marek Belka, the chairman of the UN Economic Commission for Europe, pointed to a changing pattern of Russia’s policy with regard to Europe, which is linked in his view with Moscow’s belief that the EU is little substantiated and post-modernistic entity. It is this approach, he believes, that makes Russia conduct its dialogue with each European nation separately. This tendency to seek rifts in the European Union has become an important feature characterizing the formation of Russia’s policy toward Europe. Nevertheless, the EU and Europe as a whole have been and will be Russia’s major strategic partner. And this meets the common interests of all sides involves.

Leonid Drachevsky, deputy chairman of the board of the United Energy System of Russia, reproached European partners for unwarranted procrastination in the elaboration of a document on strategic partnership between the European Union and Russia. Its absence, he pointed out, is holding back the potential of our economic ties. He believes that business interests are made hostage to excessive politicization and while our businessmen need transparent game rules for decades ahead. In this connection the Russia side is hoping for a constructive dialogue in Khanty-Mansiisk at the end of June, 2008.

By Oleg Nikiforov. Rome.

Source: Nezavisimaya gazeta, Jun 10, 2008