Russia seeks to safeguard its interests after EU expands

Financial Times. Russia has told the European Union it will support the Union's enlargement in May only if Brussels agrees to a list of demands aimed at securing Russia's economic interests in central and eastern Europe.

It has sent the EU a list of 14 concerns linked to EU enlargement, a copy of which has been seen by the FT. Moscow wants the EU to delay the introduction of higher import tariffs on "sensitive" Russian goods, to lift restrictions on Russian energy exports, accept higher grain import quotas and ease market access for Russian steel producers.

The overall ambition is to exclude any possibility that Russian businesses might suffer reduced access to markets in central and eastern Europe as a result of EU enlargement. However, the list also raises some controversial political issues, such as visa requirements for Russian citizens wanting to travel into the EU and the status of Russian-speaking communities in the Baltic countries.

Politically, the list provides fresh evidence of Russia's concern that it will lose influence in the wake of EU enlargement - prompting Moscow to increase pressure on Brussels and the new member states before May 1.

East European diplomats say that after accession, many of the new member states will display a tougher attitude towards Moscow, reflecting their previous status as Soviet satellites.

"Russia is fighting as hard as possible now to make life difficult for the member states and doing everything to play off countries and issues against each other," a diplomat from eastern Europe said.

Economically, Russia's demands illustrate the importance of trade and investment between the EU and Russia - a relationship marked by Europe's growing appetite for Russian oil and gas on the one hand, and Russia's continuing hunger for European capital to help build a more diversified economy on the other.

The sensitivity surrounding this relationship has repeatedly hampered the difficult negotiations over Russia's entry into the World Trade Organisation, which is currently held up by a number of disagreements between the two sides.

European trade officials said the list raised a number of reasonable concerns by Russia, which the two sides would seek to resolve. However, they pointed out that issues such as visa requirements and Russian-speakers in Baltic states could not be discussed in the context of trade.

They point out that the bulk of Russia's demands refer only to the member states, and that Brussels acknowledges concerns that enlargement might present some Russian exporters with problems. However, officials said the EU would still insist that Russian food and animal exports to the new member states conformed with tough hygiene standards - where Russia is also seeking exceptions.