From the point of view of the vital and long-term interests of Russia and the EU, it would be more preferable for them to conclude a Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement than a modified and improved PCA in the form of PCA-2. However, in the last three to five years, Brussels has been less inclined to look for mutually acceptable compromise solutions.
In drafting a free trade area agreement, both Russia and the EU must avoid unjustified pessimism and excessive expectations, not to mention euphoria. The drafting of such an agreement is going to be a long-term process, which Russia should enter only after careful and intensive preparations.
From the point of view of the vital and long-term interests of Russia and the EU, it would be more preferable for them to conclude a Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement than a modified and improved PCA in the form of PCA-2. However, in the last three to five years, Brussels has been less inclined to look for mutually acceptable compromise solutions.
In drafting a free trade area agreement, both Russia and the EU must avoid unjustified pessimism and excessive expectations, not to mention euphoria. The drafting of such an agreement is going to be a long-term process, which Russia should enter only after careful and intensive preparations.
When the Baltic countries entered NATO and the European Union a couple of years ago, many thought it was the end of the centuries-old "red line." Euro-Atlantic organizations had crossed into the former Russian and Soviet empires.
In September 2004, the Russian city of Novgorod hosted an international conference entitled Russia at the Turn of the Century: Hopes and Reality. Its organizers were the RIA Novosti news agency, the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, Russia in Global Affairs, and The Moscow Times.