EU ready to support Russia's modernization programme (Roundup)

Jun 1, 2010, 13:39 GMT

Rostov-on-Don, Russia - The European Union is ready to support President Dmitry Medvedev's plan to modernise Russia, the bloc's president said on Tuesday.

The EU regularly bemoans Russia's lack of progress on issues such as human rights, the rule of law and economic modernization. Medvedev, a former lawyer, has called for a wholesale reform programme, but analysts question his ability to push it through.

'The modernization of Russia has to become reality,' President Herman Van Rompuy told a joint news conference at the end of a two- day EU-Russia summit in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don.

The EU leadership pledged to provide Russia with money to reform its judiciary and fight corruption, in the context of the modernization scheme.

Medvedev's 'ambition to base Russia's modernization in the 21st century on democratic values, by building a modern diversified and dynamic economy, and by encouraging the active involvement of civil society, is a significant development for Russia,' Van Rompuy said.

And the Belgian, representing the EU for the first time in talks with Russia, called for both sides to put more effort into improving their diplomatic and economic links.

'With Russia, we do not need a 'reset'. We want a 'fast forward',' Van Rompuy said, playing on an earlier US call to 'hit the reset button' in relations with Russia.

That is most likely to happen if Russia and the EU work together to support democratic reforms and reconciliation in key regional flashpoints such as the Caucasus, he said.

'The EU and Russia share a common interest in improving security, stability and prosperity in our common neighbourhood ... We would like to see a more constructive role played by Russia,' he said.

But the talks produced few concrete agreements, and failed to resolve the thorny issue of visa-free travel.

Medvedev said Russia was ready to end visa restrictions, but noted that some EU members were not ready to reciprocate.

Russia has made it a priority to win visa-free access to the EU for its citizens, but EU sources say that the bloc has much less interest in winning visa-free access to Russia - making the visa question one of the EU's few points of leverage over Moscow.

Van Rompuy, meanwhile, criticised Russia's human rights record and protectionist tendencies in relation to foreign investment in Russia.

'The situation for human rights defenders and journalists in Russia is of great concern to the European public at large,' he said.

At the same time, Russia must 'avoid protectionism,' he said.

EU officials say Russian tariffs cost EU companies around 600 million euros a year (740 million dollars) in lost trading opportunities.

Russia is not a member of the World Trade Organization, and has only sporadically pushed to join it. Van Rompuy said that the EU is willing to help Russia join the WTO.