EU-Russia to start talks on new PCA

MOSCOW. (Yury Borko for RIA Novosti) - Russia and the European Union (EU) will start talks on a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement in Brussels on July 4. This has become possible owing to the joint efforts undertaken under the 1994 PCA, which expired last year. The summit in Khanty-Mansiisk kicked off negotiations on a new agreement. The decision has been made, but the course and outcome of the talks are more difficult to predict. EU Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, who took part in the summit, believes that the talks will be long and difficult. To use popular sports jargon, the talks will be similar to steeplechase without any definite distance, start, or finish. Neither partner has an adequate alternative to a new agreement. Both equally need a legal document that will reflect the tremendous political and... [read full story]