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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTDelegation to the EU-Russia PCC
EU-RUSSIA PCC WORKING GROUP
17-18 May 2011Sochi
REPORT
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR EXTERNAL POLICIES OF THE UNION
___________14 June 2011MC/cs
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Preparatory meeting
A preparatory meeting of the Working Group of European Parliament's Delegation took place on 2 May 2011 in Brussels.
The meeting was chaired by Mr Alojz PETERLE, Vice-Chair. Mr Sven-Olov CARLSSON, Head of Unit of Russia and Northern Dimension, representing the EEAS, presented the state of play of the cooperation between the EU and Russia in the fields of sport, sport infrastructure and youth policies, which are the topics of the Third Working Group of the EU-Russia PCC. He then focused on the preparations of the next EU-Russia Summit, scheduled for 9-10 June 2011 in Nizhniy Novgorod. The agenda of the summit includes the economic and financial crises, Partnership for Modernisation, visa dialogue, energy dialogue, WTO accession of Russia, North Africa, Iranian nuclear program, situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Moldova and Northern Caucasus Region. In order to prepare the Summit, another round of Human Rights Consultation would take place on 4 May in Brussels. On 19 May the Ministers of Internal Affairs of the EU Member States would meet in Saint Petersburg to discuss visa issues. On 23 May, in Luxembourg, the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the EU would prepare on the Summit.
Development of the mission
The final composition of the EP component of the Working Group was the following: Mr Knut FLECKENSTEIN (Chair), Mr Werner SCHULZ (1st Vice-Chair), Mr Alojz PETERLE (2nd Vice-Chair), Mr Slawomir NITRAS, Mr Krzysztof LISEK, Mr Justas PALECKIS, Ms Norica NICOLAI, Mr Jacek KURSKI and Mr Viktor USPASKICH.
The EP Delegation arrived on Monday 16 May in the evening and night. The following day the programme foresaw one session in the morning entitled: "Youth policy and modernisation process in the EU-Russia relations" and one session in the afternoon entitled "International cooperation in sport in the context of preparations for the Olympic Games of 2014 in Sochi; Cultural dimension of mutual cooperation".On 18 May the Delegation had the possibility to visit the venues of the future Winter Olympic Games in Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana. In the evening the EP Delegation had meetings with a green NGO and with youth student organisations.
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Tuesday, 17 May 2011
First session: Youth policy and modernisation process in the EU-Russia relations
The meetings, held in the South Sport Complex, started with a delay due to traffic congestion (the city has been turned into a huge construction site before the Olympic Games). Mr KLIMOV, Russian Co-Chair, opening the meeting of the Working Group, welcomed all participants to the city of the next Winter Olympic Games. Mr FLECKENSTEIN, in his opening speech, praised the intensity of the works of the PCC - the First Working Group meeting took place in March in Brussels, the second in Astrakhan in April and the third in Sochi in May. The EP Co-Chair underlined that Sochi will not only host the Winter Olympic Games, but also co-host the 2018 World Soccer Championships. Mr KLIMOV pointed out that this was the last Working Group meeting of the current legislature of the Russian Duma, as the parliamentary elections will take place in December.Mr ZYRYANOV, Vice-Chairman of the Youth Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma, opening the first session, outlined the works of his Committee. It cooperates with counterparts in the Council of Europe, the Shanghai Group, the Baltic Group, Germany, Poland and several other countries. In the previous week President Medvedev had held a meeting with the Committee in the light of the upcoming parliamentary elections. Mr ZYRYANOV informed the Members that during this meeting the President had underlined the importance of youth in the policy of modernisation of Russia. After this presentation a discussion followed with the participation of Mr PETERLE, Mr USPASKICH, Mr KLIMOV, Mr SCHULZ, Mr FLECKENSTEIN, Mr PALECKIS, Ms ZHUROVA, Ms ORLOVA and young representatives of the regional parliament of Krasnodarski Kray. The topics of Russian youth vision of modernisation of the country, demographic problems of EU and Russia, changes since the USSR times, legacy of the past, travelling opportunities for the youth, the rule of law, the role of the civil society and the problem of brain drain were discussed.As a result of these discussions, Mr KLIMOV proposed to adopt a joint statement of the two Co-Chairmen calling for the establishment of a visa-free regime for holders of EU and Russian passports born in 1989 and later. This proposal was accepted by Mr FLECKENSTEIN and the statement was signed the following day.
Second session: International cooperation in sport in the context of preparations for the Olympic Games of 2014 in Sochi; Cultural dimension of mutual cooperation
The Second session started with a presentation by Mr PETERLE, who spoke about the multi-dimensional aspects of cultural cooperation, the notion of cultural differences and the way cultural difference was treated in the past and currently in the EU and Russia.Ms ZHUROVA, Deputy Speaker of the Russian State Duma and former world champion in speed ice skating, stated that modernisation should be multi-vectored and include sport as well. She presented the current policy of modernisation of sport infrastructure in Russia. The sport infrastructure currently built in Sochi is aimed for the Olympic Games, but sport infrastructure is also constructed throughout the whole country. In order to boost entrepreneurship, the federal budget provides 50% of the funds; the rest must be sponsored by the regions themselves. Only some remote
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regions are entitled to opt for higher state subventions. The state is also developing a sport policy in the Russian school system, as many young Russians want to train sport, but not necessarily become professional athletes. As for the post-Olympic life of the infrastructure, Ms ZHUROVA mentioned that one of the sport palaces would be dismantled and sent to another region of Russia to serve the local community there. The skate palace would be turned into a conference centre and another stadium will host the 2018 Soccer World Championships. All of the other infrastructure would remain in order to maintain the potential of Sochi as the prior winter sport destination in Russia.After both presentations, a discussion took place with the participation of Mr KLIMOV, Mr PALECKIS, Mr LISEK, Mr SCHULZ, Ms ORLOVA, Mr SIKHARILUDZE, Mr FLECKENSTEIN and representatives of the regional parliament of Krasnodarski Kray. One of the main topics of discussion was the environmental protection in view of the Olympic Games. The problems of city traffic, hooliganism, racism, security of the games and the impact of the regional instability on the Olympics were also discussed. Mr LISEK in his speech presented the current sport policy in Poland, thanks to which 800 football stadiums had been created in the last 3 years. At the end of the session, Mr Dmitry KOLOSOV, Head of the Environment Department of the Organizing Committee of the 22nd Winter Olympic Games and 11th Winter Paralympics Games Sochi 2014, presented the plans to protect the natural environment while creating the necessary infrastructure.
Afternoon and evening programme
In the afternoon the study tour of the supporting sport infrastructure of Sochi for the Olympic Games 2014 was cancelled due to traffic problems.
In the evening, the Delegation took part in an official dinner hosted by the Mayor of Sochi, Mr Anatoly PAKHOMOV, during which the preparations of the Olympic Games were discussed in detail.
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Wednesday, 18 May 2011
The following day, the Working Group had the opportunity to visit the Olympic venues in Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana. The visit started with a stop at one of the road tunnels in construction which is necessary for a road and a rail track crossing leading from the international airport in Adler to Krasnya Polyana, where most of the sport activities will take place. The next stop of the visit was the site where the Olympic village will be constructed. From there the Delegation took a cable car to the top station (altitude of 2200 meters above sea level), where thanks to good weather and visibility the whole valley of the Mzymta River and Krasnaya Polyana could be seen. A presentation of the location of the different Olympic venues was given by Ms ZHUROVA. After descending the Delegation was transferred to the coastal cluster of the Olympic infrastructure, to the so-called Mzymta Marshlands. Over there the Russian hosts showed the stage of preparations of the six Olympic Park Ice Palaces, with a detailed visit of the Bolshoi Ice Palace. The Delegation had also the opportunity to visit the Nekrasovskoe village - a newly constructed village for the people who had to be relocated due to the Olympic infrastructure construction.
In the evening the EP Delegation, without their Russian counterparts, had the possibility to hold an exchange of views with the Environmental Watch on North Caucasus, a green Russian independent NGO. The NGO drew the attention of the MEPs to the fact that, until the decision of the International Olympic Committee choosing Sochi to host the Olympic Games, there was no ski infrastructure in the region. On the contrary - a vast part of the mountains was covered by a national park, which was currently endangered because of the large-scale intervention in the environment.
The last point on the programme was a meeting with the local youth organisations during which the Members had the opportunity to discuss the views of the young generation on the current situation of Russia and its plans for modernisation.
Conclusions
The visit of the EU-Russia PCC Working Group in Sochi gave Members the possibility to get acquainted with the state of preparations of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games, which will be a major event in Russia and which influences the current political agenda of the country to a high degree.On youth policies the two co-Chairmen signed a joint statement, annexed to this report, calling for the establishment of a visa-free regime for holders of EU and Russian passports born in 1989 and later.
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ANNEXES
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EU-RUSSIA PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION
COMMITTEE
WORKING GROUP
17-18 May 2011
SOCHI (Russia)
FINAL PROGRAMME
Programme Coordination and Contacts:
European Parliament
Michal CZAPLICKI +32-2 284 4886
Claudia SIEGISMUND +32-2 284 2293
Fax +32-2 284 68 30
Mobile during mission: +32-498 981369
Russian State Duma
Gleb RESHETNIKOV +7 495-692 2626
Fax +7 [email protected]
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Monday, 16 May 2011
Arrival of the EP and Russian delegations.
Transport arranged by Russian side
RADISSON LAZURNAYA HOTEL103, Kurotny Prospect - Sochi, 354024
Tel. + 7(495) 411.7777
14.00 Preparatory Meeting of the EP secretariat with Environmental Watch on North Caucasus (EWNC)
16.00 Coordinating Meeting of the EP secretariat with secretariats of the Russian Federal Assembly
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
09.00 Departure from hotelVenue : (Sports complex “South Sport”)
09.30 First Session : Youth policy and modernisation process in the EU-Russia relations
Opening statements by:
- Mr Knut FLECKENSTEIN, Co-Chair of the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee
- Mr Andrey KLIMOV, Co-Chair of the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee
Exchange of views with:
- Mr Pavel TARAKANOV, Head of State Duma Committee on Youth Affairs
12.00 Second Session : International cooperation in sport in the context of preparations for the Olympic Games 2014 in Sochi. Cultural dimension of mutual cooperation.
Exchange of views with:
- Mrs Svetlana ZHHUROVA, Deputy Speaker of the State Duma, Champion of Olympic games
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14.45 End of working session
15.00 Lunch on behalf of Mrs S. Zhurova
16.30 Study tour of the supporting sport infrastructure of Sochi for the Olympic Games 2014 (cancelled due to traffic problems)
17.00 Return to hotel19.00 Departure from hotel
20.00 Dinner hosted by Mr.Anatoly Pakhomov, Mayor of Sochi
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
09.00 Departure from «Radisson SAS Lazurnaya» to Krasnaya Polyana, location of the Olympic Games 2014
10.00 View of the Olympic venues in Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana (Krasnaya Polyana is situated in mountains, delegates are recommended to bring warm clothes).
10.00 - 10.30 Visit of Tunnel complex №3
10.30 - 11.00 Transfer to the next venue - MTC Gornaya Karousel», bottom station
11.15 - 11.30 Visit the marquee. Hearing of the report: «Report on the Media Village and Mountain Media center”.
11.30 - 12.30 Ascent to the top station
12.30 - 12.40 Transfer to lunch
12.40 - 13.40 Lunch ( “Polyana” restaurant)
13.40 - 14.40 Transfer to the Coastal Cluster
14.40 - 15.20 Visit of Mzymta port. On-site report hearing
15.20 - 15.30 Transfer to the Olympic Park
15.30 - 15.45 Inspection of the 6 Olympic park Ice palaces from the bus
15.45 - 16.30 Ascent to the Bolshoi Ice Palace lookout point;Hearing of the report about the Bolshoi Ice Palace
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16.30 – 16.45 Transfer to the next venues – Nekrasovskoe village
16.45 – 17.15 Visit and inspection of the “Nekrasovskoe” village
EP Delegation only:
19.00 Meeting with Environmental Watchon North Caucasus (EWNC) on environmental aspects of preparations of the Sochi Olympic Gamesvenue: EWNC head quarter Sochi, Kurotny Prospect 113
21.00 Meeting with youth organisations venue: City Administration Sochi, Sovietskaya Str. 26
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Individual Departure of EP Delegation participants
The EP Security duty officer's number in case of emergencyduring the mission is
+ 32 2 284 35 05
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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTEU-RUSSIA PCC WORKING GROUP
17 - 18 MAY 2011
SOCHI / RUSSIA
List of Participants
Members :
Mr Knut FLECKENSTEIN Chairman
S&D, Germany
Mr Werner SCHULZ1st Vice-Chairman
Greens/EFA, Germany
Mr Alojz PETERLE 2nd Vice-Chairman
EPP, Slovenia
Mr Jacek KURSKI ECR, Poland
Mr Krzysztof LISEK EPP, Poland
Ms Norica NICOLAI ALDE, Romania
Mr Slawomir NITRAS EPP, Poland
Mr Justas PALECKIS S&D, Lithuania
Mr Viktor USPASKICH ALDE, Lithuania
ABBREVIATIONS USED FOR POLITICAL GROUPS
EPP Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats)S&D Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European
ParliamentALDE Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for EuropeGREENS Group of the Greens/European Free AllianceECR European Conservatives and Reformists Group
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Secretariat of the Delegation :
Mr Michal CZAPLICKI Administrator, Responsible for the Delegation
Ms Claudia SIEGISMUND Assistant
Secretariat of the Political Groups :
Mr Alfredo SOUSA DE JESUS Political Advisor, EPP Mr Ciprian MATEI Political Advisor, S&DMr Renaldas VAISBRODAS Political Advisor, ALDE
Delegation of the European Union
Mr Piet BLONDE Political Officer, EU Delegation Moscow
Interpreters (DE/EN/RU):
Ms Louise MAYER (team leader)Ms Anne FORDERMr Juri LYSSENKOMs Olga TAMMIMs Oksana KLOKOVSKAYA
______________23.05.2011/fin/cs
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LISTof the State Duma delegationto the WG EU-RUSSIA PCC
(17-18 May, Sochi)
1 Mr Andrey KLIMOV Deputy Head of the Committee for Iinternational Affairs
2 Mrs Svelana ZHUROVA Deputy Speaker of the State Duma, member of the Committee on Family, Women and Children Affairs
3 Mr Yury AFONIN Member of the Committee on Youth Affairs
4 Mr Nadezhda ORLOVA Member of the Committee on ConstitutionalLegislation and State Building
5 Mr Anton SIKHARULIDZE Head of the Committee on Physical Education and Sports
6 Mr Pavel TARAKANOV Head of the Committee on Youth Affairs
7 Mrs Oxana VOLYANINOVA Staff, Protocol Issues
8 Mr Nikita KALETKIN Adviser to Mrs Zhurova
9 Mrs Evgeniya KISTENEVA Assistant to Mr Klimov
10 Mrs Natalia MELNIKOVA Assistant to Mrs Zhurova
11 Mr Gleb RESHETNIKOV Secretary of the Delegation
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List of representatives of the Association of Youth Parliaments in South Federal Okrug (District),
taking part in working sessions of the Third Working Group of the EU-Russia PCC,
Sochi 17-18 May 2011
1. Mr Ruslan NATAH - Coordinator of the Association of Youth
Parliaments (AYP);
2. Ms Olesya SLYUSAREVA - activist of the Association of Youth
Parliaments (AYP);
3. Mr Ruslan SHEUDZHEN - activist of the Association of Youth
Parliaments (AYP);
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List of representatives of the Environmental Watch on North Caucasus (EWNC)
1. Mr Dmitry SHEVCHENKO, Vice-Chairman of EWNC; Krasnodar;
2. Mr Suren GAZAREN, Russian Academy of Science, EWNC Member;
Krasnodar
3. Ms Evgenya VITISHKO, EWNC Member; Tuanse;
4. Mr Vladimir KISHAEV, EWNC Member; Sochi;
5. Mr Mikhail PLOTNIKOV, EWNC Member; Sochi;
6. Ms Maria UKHOVA, EWNC Member; Sochi;
7. Mr Semyen SIMONOV, EWNC Member; Sochi;
8. Ms Natalia KASHENOVSKAYA, Non-governmental Territorial Society
"Psoy", Member of EWNC; Sochi;
9. Ms Svetlana DAGILYAN, Initiative Group of the Inhabitants Village of
Vardane; Member of EWNC; Sochi;
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