European Union–Russia Common
Spaces
European Union
This article is part of the series:
Foreign relations of the European Union
Policy
CFSP High Representative
Javier Solana
ER Commissioner
Benita Ferrero-Waldner
Candidates
Croatia · FYR Macedonia · Turkey · Netherlands
Antilles
SAA states
Albania · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Kosovo ·
Montenegro · Serbia
EFTA/EEA
Iceland · Liechtenstein · Norway · Switzerland
Eastern Partnership
Armenia · Azerbaijan · Belarus · Georgia ·
Moldova · Ukraine
Mediterranean Union
Israel · Morocco
Other relations
Microstates · Territories · Greenland · Canada ·
Cape Verde · Malaysia · PR China · Russia ·
USA
See also
Neighbourhood Policy · ACP · Economic
Relations · Diplomatic Missions · Security ·
Military · Eurosphere · ESDP missions
The EU-Russia Common Spaces are four
projected spheres of cooperation between the
European Union and Russia.
Origins
When the European Union unveiled
its
European Neighbourhood Policy, Russia
chose not to join, fearful of being dominated
by the EU. Russia aspires to be an "equal
partner" of the EU (as opposed to the "junior
partnership" that Russia sees in the ENP).
Consequently, Russia and the European
Union agreed to create four Common Spaces
for cooperation in different spheres. In prac-
tice there are no substantial differences (be-
sides naming) between the sum of these
agreements and the ENP Action Plans (adop-
ted jointly by the EU and its ENP partner
states). In both cases the final agreement is
based on provisions from the EU acquis com-
munautaire and is jointly discussed and adop-
ted. For this reason, the Common Spaces re-
ceive funding from the European Neighbour-
hood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI),
which also funds the ENP.
At the St. Petersburg Summit in May
2003, the European Union and Russia agreed
to reinforce their co-operation by creating, in
the long term, four common spaces in the
framework of the Partnership and Coopera-
tion Agreement of 1997: a common economic
space; a common space of freedom, security
and justice; a space of co