Sir,

I agreed with almost everything said by Bronislav Geremek in his article "Why Europe still lacks a Russia policy", except perhaps his mild optimism on the possibility of Russia becoming modern and democratic. The Yeltsin years are past when the West could expect to gain a democratic partner in the east. Russia has not only failed to implement the rule of law, human rights and democratic freedoms, but also fundamental democratic values are violated daily all over Russia.

 

Russia has failed to fulfil her international obligations in the Council of Europe and OSCE. The withdrawals of Russian troops from Georgia and Moldova have been postponed for years; and President Putin’s interference in the Ukrainian presidential elections must not be forgotten; the Estonian-Russian border treaty was revoked; and the refusal of a Russian visa to Estonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs was a symbolic gesture to demonstrate Russia’s power and influence in its relations with the EU.

 

Why do such things happen? Partly because Russia has not overcome its anger over losing the Baltic States, and still considers all neighbouring countries as part of its natural sphere of influence. Mr. Geremek rightly warns the EU against accepting such attitudes and urges us all to remember shameful deals that some European leaders have concluded with Russia, the latest example of which is the gas pipeline agreement between Russia and Germany. Signed in Berlin last September, it looks at first sight like a straightforward business deal between two states. But if we look at the other side of the coin we see there are huge environmental concerns about building a 1,200 km long pipeline from Wibourg to Greifswald in the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea. It is no secret that large quantities of toxic chemicals from World War II still lie at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. An accident could have dramatic results.

 

Neither Germany nor Russia informed their Baltic Sea neighbours about their plans for such a giant project. Experts say that in any case it would have been less expensive and environmentally safer to build this pipeline through Poland and Ukraine. But Russia blocked this option and Germany agreed to build the “blue pipeline” through the Baltic despite the political, economic and environmental concerns of other countries, and the fact that the Presidents of the three Baltic States have openly voiced their fears. Some observers have called this agreement the Schröder-Putin Pact because it divides the economic powers of Europe.

 

The position of the EU on the issue has in my view been diplomatically correct but shortsighted.

 

The Commission views the deal as a private agreement between Germany and Russia and is unwilling to recognise its far-reaching consequences. So we should all listen closely to Mr. Geremek when he says that it is high time that EU countries abandoned their private strategies in relation to Russia.