Press Release: EU-Russia Summit on 26-27 June in Khanty Mansiisk to launch negotiations of the new framework agreement

This year’s EU-Russia Summit, the first with President Dmitri Medvedev, will take place in Khanty-Mansiisk, Siberia, on 26 and 27 June. One of the centrepieces of this Summit will be the official launch of negotiations on the new agreement with Russia. This new agreement presents an opportunity to update the legal framework underpinning the EU-Russia relationship, to reflect the substantial changes that both Russia and the EU have undergone since concluding the first Partnership Cooperation Agreement in the early 1990s. As an important global player, Russia is a vital partner for the EU in addressing global challenges and therefore topics such as Food Security, Energy Security, Climate Change, as well as the development of the world economy, are high on the agenda. Foreign policy issues will also be discussed during the Summit, such as the Middle East, Afghanistan, Iran, Ukraine, Georgia and the Common neighbourhood. Participants from the side of the Commission will be the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso and Commissioners Benita Ferrero-Waldner (External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy) and Peter Mandelson (Trade).