Articles

Once it was a home of philosophy, a European capital and a centre of Baltic prosperity. These days those who have heard of Kaliningrad associate it with drugs, prostitution and the Russian Aids epidemic.

Authors:

Timofei Bordachev The author – Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science, leading researcher at the Institute of Europe, RAS, director of the Centre for Applied Research Russia–EU, deputy editor-in-chief of the journal “Russia in Global Affairs”.

Russia in global affairs

President of the European Commission (EC), José Manuel Durão Barroso, visited Moscow last Friday. Power engineering headed the list of the subjects under discussion. The July G8 summit in St. Petersburg is coming and energy relations occupy a highly important place on the Russian and European agenda. The second most important but not less important subject of the Moscow negotiations for the President of the EC was the modernization of political and legal base of Russia-EU relations, which up to now has been founded on the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) expiring in 2007.

Russia in global affairs

ON THE THRESHOLD OF CHANGES
Russia and the European Union have negotiated a legislative and institutional basis of their future relations, which was inevitable because of the expiration of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) in the autumn, 2007. The Parties have approached this discussion with the sense of mutual tiredness of each other, if not to say, with the sense of mutual irritation. In fact, the policy of “peaceful coexistence” has prevailed by February, 2004, when it became obvious that the socio-political and economic models of both Parties differ form each other more and more. The subject of rapprochement is now used only as an excuse to achieve one or another economic concession not related to long-term objectives. In practice tough competition on specific economic issues is sometimes hidden behind the "strategic partnership" slogan. The agenda for bilateral summits and the substantial part of the accepted agreements are being constricted. Both Russia and the European Union have displayed their inability to formulate common goals and objectives, and to define common values and often even their practical interests.

Authors:

Alexey Ignatiev

The Russian Exclave of Kaliningrad sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania in the Southern Baltic Sea Region is a tiny part of the so-called “Baltic Community”. It has less than 1 million of population and just 15,000 sq km of territory.

 

Authors:

Paul Abelsky

 

Russia Profile. Special Economic Privileges Help Define the Exclave

In late December, the State Duma approved federal legislation amending the guidelines governing the Kaliningrad Region Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Signed into law by President Vladimir Putin on Jan. 17, the newly introduced measure modifies an arrangement that has been in place since 1996, when the area was granted a number of special economic concessions, centered on taxation privileges and lower tariffs.

 

Authors:

Alexey Ignatiev

Throughout the last year, the Russian and international public lively discussed the project envisaging the construction of the Northern-European Gas Pipeline (NEGP).
The debates began to acquire especially acute form, when the participants of the project – the Russian "Gazprom" and German concerns concluded the respective agreement and the project entered the stage of practical implementation.

Authors:

Jakub Swiecicki

Instead of a prologue

 “Forgive me, the city, that I did not love you for a long time. But how could I love you among the ruins and broken bricks… I was flesh of the flesh of those soldiers who took your fortresses by storm. Could I cry over your ruins, when my native city in the Pskov county was wiped off the face of the earth? I came to you, my city, not by my own free will. I was sent to the shipyard, where the working day ended in the working night, and I had no energy enough to stroll along your deserted streets. You have no right to take offence with me.

Authors:

Maria Levitov

Both the United States and Russia are pushing to wrap up bilateral negotiations on World Trade Organization membership by the end of the year, government officials and business leaders from both countries said Monday.

The Guardian

Vladimir Putin won Russia's presidency in 2000 with a pledge to restore order at home and national prestige abroad after the chaos of the Yeltsin era. And he has enjoyed some success. His personal approval rating stands at 70%, the economy is growing, and Russia will assume the G8 presidency next year for the first time. Next week Mr Putin will visit London for the latest EU-Russia summit.

The Moscow Times

Air Force chief Vladimir Mikhailov on Monday ridiculed NATO over what he called its slow response to the intrusion of a Russian fighter jet that crashed in the alliance's new member, Lithuania.