The EU and Russia will not start talks on a new post-2007 "Strategic Partnership Treaty" (SPT) at a summit in Helsinki on Friday (24 November) after Poland on Thursday upheld its veto on the issue, despite intense two-day long negotiations in Brussels.
The crux of the problem was that Poland demanded an explicit "permanent veto mechanism" to be inserted into the draft SPT, that would allow any one of the 25 EU member states to unilaterally trigger suspension of EU-Russia negotiations a...
Back our independent journalism by becoming a supporting member
Already a member? Login hereAndrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.
Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.