Poland blocks EU negotiations with Russia

"Poland has blocked the negotiations for a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with Russia by making an unrealistic demand," writes the daily's EU correspondent Peter Winkler. He points out that Poland had two reasons for doing this: "Firstly because Moscow has banned the import of Polish agricultural products on a very flimsy pretext. And secondly because Warsaw wants to force the Kremlin to ratify the energy charter, which President Putin explicitly refused to do at the EU summit in Lahti. Now the 24 other member states are trying to persuade Warsaw that a new agreement will not only serve Russia's interests but also those of the EU and particularly Poland, because it could be used as a framework for securing energy supplies. For example the EU could make an energy charter more palatable to Moscow by offering free trade concessions or making it easier for Russian citizens to obtain visas."

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