Security and World Politics - [01/21/2009]

Javier Solana participates in 2009 War & Peace seminar on the subject of relations between Russia and the European Union

The meeting was opened by the Mayor of Barcelona, Jordi Hereu, whose address included a summary of relations between Russia and the EU since the signing of the joint partnership in 1997; Hereu also appealed for an improvement in relations between the two actors.

Apart from the Mayor, those participating in the seminar's inaugural session included the President of the CIDOB Foundation, Narcís Serra, and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ángel Lossada, who also chaired the debate between the participants. The first speaker, Narcís Serra, called for better coordination of the countries of the EU, to enable them to speak with one voice in the EU's relations with Russia; he also stressed the importance of the issue of energy security on the international agenda. Meanwhile, the Secretary of State called for a new, multidisciplinary strategic partnership that is capable of laying the foundations for stable, lasting relations with Russia.

The seminar included the participation of the following experts from different origins and disciplines: Javier Solana, Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union and High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy; Giuliano Amato, ex-Prime Minister of Italy; Anatoly Chubais, Director General of Rusnano and ex-Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation; Irina Kobrinskaya, researcher at the Institute on World Economy and International Relations, Moscow, and Alexander Kwasniewski, ex-President of Poland.

During their addresses, the experts listed and analysed different International issues and situations within the relations between Russia and the European Union. In this respect, different areas of interdependence were highlighted, such as trade, energy and security. Likewise, different issues were mentioned on the European agenda that should include closer collaboration with Russia, such as the situation in Afghanistan, relations with Iran and the enlargement of NATO. In this context, the meeting's participants also analysed the effects of NATO's enlargement to include countries with a common border with Russia, and the effects that this initiative of the Atlantic Alliance could produce in relations between Brussels and Moscow. Meanwhile, the United States' project to install missiles in Poland and the Czech Republic was also the object of analysis and discussion.

Other issues dealt with during the different addresses and in the subsequent debate included the need to create a climate of trust between Russia and the EU, with the aim of laying the foundations for new, stable relations, far from the fears and prejudices of the past. Further issues that came up during the debate included the establishing of a new strategic partnership, the internal reforms Russia will have to carry out to strengthen its democracy, the EU's institutional improvements to enable it to speak as one and the prospects offered by the new administration in the United States and Spain's presidency of the EU in 2010.

Finally, the Director of the CIDOB Foundation Jordi Vaquer presented the conclusions of the seminar, which included the main issues debated by the experts and the proposals that they made to foster greater understanding and cooperation between Russia and the European Union.

>> Conclusions. Russia and the European Union. A keystone relationship (pdf 36kB)