European lawmakers have prepared several questions to Russian President Vladimir Putin that they are planning to ask him at a Russia-EU summit due in December, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily reported. The newspaper reported that the Russian delegation will have to answer the questions about the alleged delays in the investigation of the Magnitsky criminal case, the guilty verdict to the Pussy Riot members that the EU leadership finds unacceptable and constant violations of human rights in the country. Without clear answers to these questions, the improvement of bilateral relations is impossible, the EU lawmakers stated.
Ahead of the Russia-EU summit the European lawmakers are to approve the list of claims to Russia. The draft recommendations over the Magnitsky criminal case noted that his arrest and the conditions of his keeping in custody violated the fundamental human rights.
The Magnitsky list is planned to be added with all human rights violations, the lawmakers proposed. Since Europe finds the Hermitage Foundation criminal case as an example of Russian ‘justice’.
Deputy of the European Parliament Kristiina Ojuland told the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily that the foresaid issues of the Magnitsky criminal case will be put on the agenda of the summit. Ojuland recalled that the EU leadership criticized the Russian general elections last spring, and the same critical remarks will be publicly made to the Russian delegation.
Ojuland dwelt on the negotiations with Russia over an easier visa regime, which official Russian media focus on, covering bilateral meetings between Vladimir Putin and European politicians. For the last year the negotiations did not advance at all, she said. The visa-free regime can be discussed after Russia fulfils the conditions of all countries, which are the EU states. However, the Russian authorities did not even begin fulfilling the roadmap, which was developed a year ago.
The visa-free regime for Russian citizens in Europe is not in question in the near future, she reaffirmed this fact even for the holders of the so-called blue, diplomatic passports, since the officials, which are frequently the main violators of human rights in Russia, can travel in the EU states with these passports.
Ahead of the Russia-EU summit a special report, which is devoted to Russia, will be approved. Leader of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament Hannes Swoboda has drafted the report. It can be already stated that the report is quite harsh, a source in the European Parliament told the newspaper. The essence of the report is that it is impossible to establish mutually respectful relations due to the whole information about violations of human rights in Russia, the Pussy Riot criminal case, the Magnitsky criminal case and many other issues.
The European parliamentary source did not rule out that that EU President Herman van Rompuy and President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso will raise this issue in public. He does not doubt that Putin will be asked about the criminal cases of Magnitsky, Khodorkovsky and political purges. The source noted that Europe has a clear idea that it is high time to put an end to the reports over the potential in the sphere of human rights that Russia has, as everybody witnesses that the human rights situation did not improve, but deteriorated sharply in the country.
Stating the moods of European politicians, the source in the European parliament of the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily voiced hope that the situation will not result in the imposing of sanctions against the country. The bilateral negotiations are obviously futile so far. European officials assumed that the full end to the dialogue will not improve the situation. On the contrary, Russian official media will claim as if Europe is seeking to make Russia weaker.