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...
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Already a member? Login hereAndrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.
Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.