The 33-page document entitled “Key Outstanding Issues for the EU in its Relations with Russia” was drafted by EU diplomats on 16 October as part of a regular foreign relations review, EUobserver.com reports. The paper comes just two weeks before the European Commission on 10 November will present to EU foreign ministers a special “audit” of EU-Russia relations sparked by the Georgia war. In their meeting on 16 October, EU leaders failed to agree on when to restart negotiations with Russia over a new partnership agreement. Instead, they agreed to initiate “a full in-depth evaluation of EU-Russia relations”. The paper expresses worries that Russia might not cope with annual export commitments by up to 100 billion cubic metres by 2010 as production in existing fields decline and too few new fields open. In addition, foreign investors are being scared off by Russia’s unwillingness to open up pipeline “monopolies” and a general “degree of arbitrariness and lack of transparency” in legal protection for outsiders, EUobserver, which has a copy of the reports, reports. Current Russian red tape trade in trade matter, counterfeiting and piracy regulations, Siberian overflights must be altered “prior to giving a green light to Russia’s accession to the WTO,” the report reads. Meanwhile, the paper takes a soft stance in the Georgia conflict and warns of “disturbing” new violence in North Caucasus.
