Europe seeks Russian trade deal

The European Union wants a free-trade deal with Russia once the country joins the World Trade Organization, according to the European Commission President, José Manuel Barroso, July 2006.
The Commission agreed 3 July 2006 draft negotiating directives for a new EU-Russia Agreement. The Agreement will provide an updated and more ambitious framework for the EU-Russia relationship. It will be legally binding and will replace the previous EU-Russia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA). The Commission is proposing an agreement which covers the whole range of EU-Russia cooperation, with a particular focus on progressive deepening and development of trade relations and fair and open development of the energy relationship between the EU and Russia. The Commission will work with the Finnish Presidency, July-December 2006 to seek the agreement of the Council on the negotiating directives before the end of 2006, and negotiations with the Russians can start as soon as possible thereafter.

European Commission: DG Communication: Press Release, IP/06/910: European Commission approves terms for negotiating new EU–Russia agreement http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/910&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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