Parliament prepares ground with Russia on PCA renewal

EU Parliamentary talks with Russia have been proceeding for the renewal of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), which is the bilateral basis for EU relations with Russia. It is a 5;mixed5; agreement covering matters falling under EU and under national competence of the Member States.

Elmar Brok, who heads the parliament’s external relations committee, said:
“I think in the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement which has to be renewed or renegotiated next year, we want to have a deeper relationship between the Russian Federation and the European Union; The European Parliament will have at the end of the day to ratify such an agreement.”

Russian foreign minister Serguei Lavrov said:
“Many of them (euro-deputies) after the meeting expressed the interest in continuing this type of dialogue, I am sure that this dialogue will be further continued.”

Discussions would centre on four main common areas of interest: economic, justice, security and education. Lavrov added that the PCA signed ten years ago does not meet today’s needs. For its part, the EU is increasingly keen to see a bilateral Energy Treaty ratified by Russia. It was established six years ago.

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