The
next EU-Russia Summit is taking place on Tuesday, 28 January, in Brussels. It
will be a very short meeting. Initially thought to last for two days, it is now
planned for three hours. That says a lot about the state of mind of the
leaders, on both sides of the table. But it is also related to the fact that
the current EU bosses are at the end of their mandates. Later in the year all
the key European institutions will be headed by new people.
It
would be however a mistake to take this summit as a mere formality. There are
important issues on the table, from trade to visa requirements, from Ukraine to
the Transnistria break-away region of Moldova. The Europeans should find a
balance between pushing forward what is positive and can strengthen the
relationship and stating the key principles they believe are important to
ensure the full respect for international law and human rights.
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