Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 4 • Number 10 • 28th May 2004
EU-Russia Summit: Putin Signals Support for Kyoto Protocol
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Following an EU-Russia summit on 21 May — at which the EU agreed to support Russia’s WTO accession — Russian President Putin said he would “speed up” Russia’s process to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Both topics had been slated for possible inclusion in an EU-Russia package deal (see BRIDGES Weekly, 28 April 2004). The Kyoto Protocol, which sets emissions limitations for greenhouse gases, cannot enter into force without Russia after the US pulled out in 2001. In bilateral WTO accession talks with the EU, the Russian policy of low domestic gas prices had been a stumbling bloc. The EU had argued that the low prices constituted a de fact subsidy to Russian industry. The environmental implications of the low prices were never raised. In the final deal, Russia agreed to gradually increase domestic gas prices, and to open up its gas pipelines to private firms. Russia still has to clinch deals with other key WTO Members, such as the US and China, before joining the WTO. On Kyoto, Putin said “It is true that the European Union has met us half-way on certain issues during the WTO negotiations. This cannot but have a positive effect on our position on the Kyoto protocol. We will speed up Russia’s moves towards ratifying the protocol…We clearly set out our position on Kyoto long ago. We are for the Kyoto process and we support it”. Putin did not, however, set a date for Russia’s ratification.
“Russia get EU deal on WTO, backs Kyoto,” REUTERS, 21 May 2004; “Russia, EU agree on WTO-membership terms,” PRAVDA, 25 May 2004
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