Actualités
EU and Russia confirm the extension of the PCA to the enlarged EU
Source : Commission européenne - DG Commerce
Today, at the first meeting of the Permanent Partnership Council, Irish Foreign Minister, Brian Cowen, and External Relations Commissioner, Chris Patten, for the European Union (EU), and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, for the Russian Federation, signed a protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the EU and the Russian Federation, extending the agreement to the ten new Member States of the enlarged EU on 1 May 2004. They also adopted a joint statement by the EU and the Russian Federation on EU enlargement and EU-Russia relations.
Commissioner Chris Patten said: “The extension of the PCA to the enlarged EU ensures Russia will be able to benefit from all the opportunities for increased cooperation arising from EU enlargement. EU enlargement is good for the EU and for its neighbours, including Russia. Conditions for trade will improve, offering considerable potential for further growth. We expect the ratification of the protocol to follow rapidly on both sides.”
The protocol to the PCA is needed to ensure the application of all of its provisions between the enlarged EU and Russia. After the signature it will be applied provisionally as of 1 May until it is ratified by the both parties. The PCA sets the framework for bilateral cooperation and determines the conditions for trade between the EU and Russia. It establishes institutions for discussing and agreeing bilateral issues on all levels, for exchanging information and for settling disputes. The work to develop the Four Common Spaces envisaged at the St Petersburg Summit of May 2003 (DE, FR, IT) will also take place in the framework of the PCA.
In parallel to the signature of the protocol to the PCA, a joint statement on EU enlargement and EU-Russia relations was today adopted. It acknowledges the opportunities between the EU and Russia for increased and intensified cooperation offered by EU enlargement and confirms the way that enlargement related issues have been and will be addressed.
