While President Obama reaches out to Russia and helps reset the relationship between the U.S. and Russia the EU should take practical steps to further co-operation. In a way Russians and Americans live in a similar system of ideas. America, too, is a country that is oriented primarily towards power and strength – in the broader and not just in the military sense. Russians don’t understand European subtleties and details . Russians act like Americans and are only interested in agreements that are of interest to them. Europeans pay most attention to Russia’s relationship with the US, as does Russia but it is Russia’s relationship with the EU that matters most for the future. While Russian-US relations naturally matter because of security, Russian- EU relations go wider. The two areas are increasingly connected through trade, migration, communications, the environment, culture, energy and technology. Each side knows that the other is an essential partner.
Russia and the EU countries have much in common, including facing the economic problems caused by an ageing population and shrinking workforce. Their trade interdependence is significant, but the fact that the EU is the less dependent partner is perhaps the first source of irritation in the relationship. The EU takes more than half of Russia’s exports (mainly of oil, gas and raw materials), but Russia only accounts for less than 10% of EU exports – it is the EU’s third most important market, but a long way behind the US and China.
Russia’s relationship with the EU goes far beyond economics: the cultural ties between the two areas are stronger than often perceived. Russians feel more at home, culturally, in Europe than anywhere else in the world.
The way forward lies in practical cooperation. Energy is one obvious area; global warming and climate change is another, food security, financial instability, terrorism, cooperating on such dossiers as human trafficking, child pornography, cybercrime and the exchange of counterterrorism information, cross-border security, such as terrorism, the arms trade, financial crime, illegal migration and environmental crime. There are common demographic problems to address, and EU expertise in dealing with AIDS and epidemics might be helpful. Specific programs on economic and regional development would smooth out the wrinkles in relations between the European Union and Russia. Contacts between people in general and between professionals in particular (peer to peer) can make a positive contribution to better understanding between the European Union and Russia and also establish the trust necessary to undertake more demanding projects. Cooperation can be sought in areas where each
party can learn from the other. In the field of research, for example, multiyear programmes could be set up in areas of common interest. The target groups could be knowledge institutions or schools and universities. The EU and Russia could develop a programme for cooperation in higher education, with funds to finance student grants, teacher exchange programmes and joint education and research programmes (courses, bachelor and master’s programmes, summer courses and the like). In tandem, the member states could take measures to strengthen cooperation with Russian higher education institutions. Universities, for example, could waive registration fees or provide funds for grants. In the field of culture, investments could be made in language programmes and courses in each other’s history and culture. Exchange programmes for primary and secondary schools and youth organisations would also be beneficial. Exchange programmes could be set up for music, theatre, opera and ballet companies and museum collections as well. Finance could be sought where necessary from sponsors in relevant industries. Last but not least, initiatives could be taken to encourage tourism to and from Russia. Such practical co-operation would certainly be most helpful to reset the relationship between both sides.
