February 18, 2008 By James Kimer

Tusk: Europe must speak with one voice to Russia

tusk021708.jpgThe Prime Minister of Poland writes in the FT about how Europe should handle Russia:

Europe must speak with one voice to Russia By Donald Tusk Russia is the largest and one of the most important of the European Union’s neighbours. The challenge is for the EU to work out a common policy on how to handle its neighbour – and to implement it consistently. The new Lisbon treaty speaks of the EU’s responsibility to maintain the cohesion of its external operations, but only within the scope of the community’s responsibility. Beyond that, there is a growing tendency for member states and large corporations to act autonomously. There is no cohesion here. On the contrary, diverging interests and even rivalry are common. Additionally, tensions that occur in relations with Russia usually involve individual countries, whether the issue is gas and petrol supplies, embargoes on farm products or the operation of cultural centres. What constitutes a problem for some enables others to strengthen their position.