Results of vote in Parliament

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the upcoming EU-Russia Summit on 15 December 2011 and the outcome of the Duma elections on 4 December 2011.

The text adopted in plenary was tabled by the EPP, S&D, ALDE, Greens/EFA and ECR groups.

Parliament calls on the EU and Russia to take the opportunity of the upcoming summit to speed up the negotiations on a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement . It reiterates its support for a comprehensive, legally binding agreement that covers political, economic and social issues and which includes all areas related to democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.

It underlines its confidence that the Partnership for Modernisation will promote reform and give renewed momentum to the EU-Russia relationship and welcomes the completion of the negotiations on Russia's accession to the WTO.

The resolution stresses the importance of intensifying the energy partnership with Russia and reiterates that the supply of natural resources must not be used as a political tool. It stresses that the principle of interdependence and transparency should be the basis of such cooperation together with equal access to markets, infrastructure and investment and a legally binding energy framework which guarantees reliable and secure energy supply based on equal standards to all EU Member States.

Members underline that the EU should broaden its cooperation with Russia in the field of energy to areas such as energy efficiency and research into renewable energy technologies.

The Russian Federation is urged to step up its contribution to addressing climate change , through domestic greenhouse gas reductions and its participation in the international negotiations for a comprehensive post-2012 climate policy framework under UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol.

Taking note of the result of the Duma election on 4 December 2011, Parliament stresses that the running of the election showed that Russia does not meet election standards as defined by the OSCE . It expresses its deep concern with regard to reports of fraud and the preliminary findings of the OSCE/ODIHR report on procedural violations, lack of media impartiality, harassment of independent monitors and lack of separation between party and state.

The resolution reiterates that the cumbersome registration process led to the exclusion of several opposition parties and has seriously undermined freedom of association, political competition and pluralism from the beginning. Parliament calls for new free and fair elections to be held after registration of all opposition parties .

Members welcome the demonstrations in Russia as an expression of the will of the Russian people for more democracy. They condemn the crackdown by the police on peaceful demonstrations protesting about election irregularities and fraud reported by international observers. They call for an immediate and full investigation of all reports of fraud and intimidation, and penalties for those found responsible.

Members reiterate concern over the human rights situation in Russia and the lack of rule of law and an independent judiciary . They underline the importance of the continuous exchange of views on human rights with Russia within the EU-Russia Human Rights Consultations as a way to consolidate the parties' interoperability in all the fields of cooperation and demands an improvement in the format of these meetings in order to gain effectiveness, with special attention for common action against racism and xenophobia, and to open this process to an effective input from the European Parliament, the State Duma and human rights NGOs, whether the dialogue takes place in Russia or in an EU Member State.

Parliament calls on the Vice-President/High Representative and the Commission to pursue joint initiatives with the Russian Government aimed at strengthening security and stability in the common neighbourhood . It calls on Russia to actively contribute to the solving of the ‘frozen conflicts’ in its neighbourhood and to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states involved in ‘frozen conflicts’. It reiterates Russia's obligation to fully implement the Six-point Ceasefire Agreement, including respect for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Lastly, the resolution stresses that challenges on an international level, in particular with regard to Syria and Iran , cannot be solved without a coordinated approach which includes Russia.

T7-0575/2011

Debate in Parliament

B7-0693/2011

B7-0694/2011

B7-0695/2011

B7-0697/2011

B7-0699/2011

B7-0700/2011

RC-B7-0693/2011