Why Russia and the EU need one another

Will the relationship between Russia and the European Union be based on short-term benefit only or will we be building a lasting, productive partnership? That is a question for which there is only one sensible answer. We will be building a partnership that can weather the storms of the 21st century.

We are bound by geography and a common cultural heritage of which Pushkin, Shostakovich and Malevich form an inalienable part. And we are also bound by the absence of a credible alternative. Globalisation and a wide range of new threats and challenges dictate an agenda that no serious international player can handle alone.

The EU sees Russia as a major power with an instrumental role in securing international peace and stability. We share a common neighbourhood with many unstable areas. And that makes Russia an indispensable partner in any effort to stem the flow of drugs, small arms and human beings illegally trafficked into the EU from and through them.

But Russia also needs the EU. The EU and its member states represent more than 455 million citizens and have a combined GDP of €10 trillion. Politically too, the EU is growing up. Every one of our common foreign and security policy crises has heightened our resolve to improve our performance.

Like Russia, the EU believes in an effective multilateral system with a strong United Nations at its core in which political conduct is subject to the rule of law. One might argue that, despite a relationship that is at times uneasy, Russia and the EU share a world view. A closer look at some of the major issues we all feel are important may help us to understand why we need each other.

To start with, the campaign against terrorism unites all civilised societies and this of course includes Russia and the European Union. In order to prevent another New York, Bali, Casablanca, Madrid or Beslan, the EU member states have taken measures to strengthen their anti-terrorist efforts. We would like to enlarge the picture by improving our cooperation with Russia as we have done with the United States. The EU and Russia should intensify their information exchange and join forces to disrupt the financial infrastructure of terrorist movements.

At the same time, we should acknowledge that an effective campaign against the disease of terrorism is a campaign that fights both the underlying infection and its effects. Although terrorism may display a global pattern, its causes are often local. President Vladimir Putin put his finger on the sore spot when he declared that the roots of terror in the North Caucasus region "also lie in the mass unemployment that remains in the region, in the lack of effective social policies, in the low level of education of the young generation and even the lack of opportunity to receive education".

Russia and the European Union are already strong partners in another crucial area - the economy. Half of Russia's foreign trade is with the EU and the EU and its member states are by far the most important source of foreign direct investment in Russia.

A prosperous, modern Russia is good for the European Union. Prosperity and modernity there mean more trade, more investment, more innovation and less environmental pollution. That is why the EU has offered Russia "most favoured nation"status, which ensures that Russia's exports benefit from the lowest possible EU tariffs. That tariff reduction means a direct benefit of €300 million a year to Russia. And this is also why the EU has consistently supported Russia's efforts to join the World Trade Organisation and applauded the Russian government's decision to put the Kyoto protocol up for ratification by the Duma. We hope that Russia will soon ratify the protocol, and, in so doing, make an important contribution to sustainable development across the globe.

Having said this, I would add that Russia needs to improve its investment climate because the country is again suffering from capital flight. And because potential European investors are holding back. They complain that registration regulations are too complicated, that their property rights are not being adequately protected and that they are subjected to higher fees for state services than Russian companies.

Which brings me to a third area of mutual concern - democracy and the rule of law. A Russian parliamentarian visiting the EU was recently quoted as saying that "too much democracy can be bad for you". Such a comment makes me wonder whether the EU is being clear enough when it makes its case for democracy. A popular vote alone is of course no guarantee of good governance. The fact that Socrates was sentenced to death by a majority of the Athenian electorate does not make his sentence morally sound. When Europeans speak of democracy, they mean democracy and the rule of law. One without the other does not work.

Many parliaments in the European Union have expressed their concern that, in its fight against terrorism, Russia is in fact sacrificing that precious combination of democracy and the rule of law. Perhaps Europeans do not understand the complexities of governing a country as large as Russia. Still, in all fairness, I should point out that Russian politicians also criticise the EU which they say is difficult to understand, bureaucratic and arrogant. We Europeans must take such criticism seriously.

All this underscores the urgent need to invest more - not less - in one another. Cultural exchanges and greater academic mobility offer a way of getting to know each other better. The EU and its member states have already offered hundreds of Russian students access to European universities. We should make it easier to compare university degrees and should promote scientific cooperation. And, in a similar vein, we could develop exchange programmes for film makers and artists.

A productive partnership demands mutual respect and tolerance. And also a willingness to make a serious investment in our relationship. Turgenev once said that "if we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything, is ready, we shall never begin". Let us heed that warning and get down to business.

The writer is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of The Netherlands and president of the Council of Ministers of the European Union. A meeting of the EU-Russian ministerial troika takes place in The Hague today.