Graham Watson MEP

EU-Russia relationship: actions speak louder than words

Published on Monday 28th November 2011

Discussions took place with prominent speakers from the world of politics and civil society from Russia and the EU as well as American human rights organisation, Freedom House, and centered on the areas of human rights and the rule of law.

Addressing the participants Markus Löning, ELDR vice president and human rights commissioner for the German government, commented that Europe needs to be more consistent on human rights matters and that its moral authority is dependent on standing up for human rights and the rule of law where these fundamental rights are under severe threat, such as is the case in Russia. Löning concluded his intervention by stating that concrete action is required, "let's not be afraid to act in the way we speak"

The conclusions from the two-day conference, co-hosted by ELDR member parties Svenska Folkpartiet and Keskusta, were presented by liberal democrat group leader Guy Verhofstadt MEP and outline four aspects for a new policy towards Russia, including actions that will send a signal to the Russian authorities that continued failure to meet the requirements of its Council of Europe and Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) membership will not be without consequences. Read the press release and conclusions in full.

The framework for this conference was the original Helsinki process that was concluded in the mid-1970s and lead to the creation of the OSCE. It is clear that the upcoming elections will not be free or fair, yet they are only the preamble for the return to power of Vladimir Putin after the March 2012 presidential election. It is essential that the ideas launched at Helsinki 2.0 are followed up with actions that improve human rights and strengthen the rule of law and resonate with an impact akin to that of 36 years ago.  

A resolution on the upcoming Russian elections will be debated at the ELDR Congress on 23-25 November.