EU downplays tensions ahead of Russia summit[fr][de] 

EU officials have indicated that the EU-Russia summit to be held on 18 May 2007 will be characterised by "frank and open dialogue" with "no taboos", in an attempt to play down speculations that the meeting could break down.

But tensions remained apparent, as Poland has said that it will maintain its veto on opening broad EU co-operation talks with Russia unless it receives backing from member states on energy security. Speaking on 15 May, a Polish spokesperson said that Warsaw wants the EU to issue a declaration at the summit to protect the energy security of Poland and other former Soviet states which rely heavily on Russian oil and gas. "The shape of the declaration remains up for discussion," the spokesperson said, according to AFX.

The issue has strained relations between Germany and Poland, with Chancellor Angela Merkel criticised for setting a weak summit agenda that "skirts around painful political and energy security issues". Given the strong opposition to the summit by Poland and Lithuania in particular, the EU delegation will meet Russian counterparts with a weak negotiation mandate.

The EU has proposed a conspicuously vague agenda for the meeting, avoiding direct mention of any of the most controversial issues that threaten to dominate and overshadow the summit (EurActiv 14/05/07).

The discussion is to be divided into two broad categories: EU-Russia relations and "topical" international issues. The first category includes an "early-warning mechanism" for energy security, climate change, visa and border issues, and the second category includes most notably a discussion on the status of Kosovo, as well as broader issues such as Middle East stability and Iran.

In an effort to resolve "at least one" of the current disputes between Russia and several of the EU's new member states, Germany's foreign minister Fank-Walter Steinmeier travelled to Moscow on 15 May to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.