Monday

2nd Oct 2023

EU and Russia hold 'Vegetable Summit'

  • Medvedev: 'We had tomatoes, different tomatoes. I don't know the origin' (Photo: jugbo)

Russia said it will again import EU vegetables at a summit on Friday (10 June), an event better-replaced by a video-conference or an exchange of position papers according to one commentator.

EU presidents Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso took two separate planes to fly the 2,600 km from Brussels to Nizhny-Novgorod in an unusual move which cost the European Commission at least €55,000 extra.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

In a sign of how afar apart the two sides are in terms of basic political values, Human Rights Watch reports that Russian police intimidated a group of around 10 local activists in the run-up to the event by phoning them up or calling them in for questioning to warn them against organising any protests.

Authorities cancelled at the last minute a 9 June press conference to be held by Russian NGOs in the so-called EU-Russia Civil Society Forum. One of the forum's leaders also had her car number plates stolen - putting her at risk of arrest - and her credit cards blocked.

Van Rompuy - the EU's top foreign policy representative, and a poet - began his press briefing by recalling "the magical sunset over the Volga yesterday evening." He added that "the EU-Russia relationship is enjoying its best dynamics for years."

He later noted "there are still strong concerns" in EU member states about human rights in Russia.

For his part, Barroso several times underlined the importance of the rule of law in Russia if EU investors are to really get behind the 'Partnership for Modernisation' (PfM) - his personal plan for swapping high-end EU technology in return for reforms. Barroso's remarks came on a day when a masked gunman shot six times and killed a Russian colonel on one of Moscow's busiest streets during the morning rush hour.

The PfM appears to be making progress behind the scenes despite the lack of reform.

Barroso said the European Investment Bank (EIB) is getting ready to put €2 billion of loans into the project. The EU is taking an interest in Russia's Soyuz space programme and Russia is to play a part in the EU's Galileo global positioning system.

Fraser Cameron, the head of the EU-Russia Centre, a think-tank in Brussels, noted that rolling out the PfM and other Nizhny-Novgorod agenda items, such as voicing political will to move ahead on WTO talks and visa-free talks, are not really summit-level issues.

"Arguably, the two sides could save a huge amount of time and money by holding a video conference or even just exchanging position papers. In an age of government austerity, excessive debt and budget cuts, the public would surely applaud the move," he said in a written statement.

Cameron dubbed the event 'The Vegetable Summit' because of a mini-drama involving E. coli.

Russia one week before the meeting blocked imports of all EU vegetables after an outbreak in Germany. Its EU ambassador two days before the summit put media on the edge of their seats by saying the ban will probably stay in place when leaders meet. Medvedev on Friday then dropped the measures in return for unspecified EU "guarantees."

Asked by one Russian reporter if he ate any EU vegetables during the event, Medvedev said: "We did have vegetables today and yesterday. Just now over lunch we had tomatoes, different tomatoes. I don't know the origin."

Opinion

Punish Belarus too for aiding Putin's Ukraine war

While Belarus has not sent its own troops to fight Russia's war in Ukraine, the Minsk dictatorship has been heavily involved. As a result, Belarus must be punished for its involvement — what can the world do to sanction Belarus?

Latest News

  1. The realists vs idealists Brussels battle on Ukraine's EU accession
  2. EU women promised new dawn under anti-violence pact
  3. Three steps EU can take to halt Azerbaijan's mafia-style bullying
  4. Punish Belarus too for aiding Putin's Ukraine war
  5. Added-value for Russia diamond ban, as G7 and EU prepare sanctions
  6. EU states to agree on asylum crisis bill, say EU officials
  7. Poland's culture of fear after three years of abortion 'ban'
  8. Time for a reset: EU regional funding needs overhauling

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  2. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators, industry & healthcare experts at the 24th IMDRF session, September 25-26, Berlin. Register by 20 Sept to join in person or online.
  3. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  4. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  5. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators & industry experts at the 24th IMDRF session- Berlin September 25-26. Register early for discounted hotel rates
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations
  2. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  3. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  4. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us