EU and Russian Leaders Meet to Discuss Impact of Russia's Presidential Elections on Europe

ROME, July 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

 

Frattini, Kouchner, Paroubek to Debate Future of Europe

International politicians and business leaders will meet in Rome this week to discuss the consequences for Europe of next year's Russian presidential elections.

The agenda at the half day conference, hosted by the Italian Senate, will focus on several key areas on EU-Russia-US international relations, including:

1. Energy security and oil and gas supplies from East to West
2. The role of NATO
3. The international economic recovery
4. The expectations of Russia's people from the election campaign

Business leaders will also be carefully watching the outcome for signs about Russia's willingness to open up to greater commercial engagement with Western companies.

The candidates for the election have not yet been declared though the former president Vladimir Putin is expected to be the front runner should he decide to run.

The conference will take place on Wednesday in Rome and participating politicians include: Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini, the former foreign minister of France, Bernard Kouchner, and Alexander Babakov, deputy Speaker of the Russian Duma.

The Russian ambassador to Italy, Alexey Meshkov, will make a keynote address ahead of other international speakers including: Jiry Paroubek, the prime minister of the Czech Republic in 2005/6, Michael Ancram, a member of the House of Lords in the UK, plus Petar Dimitrov, former energy minister of Bulgaria.

From Italy, speakers include the president of the Italian Senate, Renato Schifani, Emma Marcegaglia, president of Confindustria, and Rossana Boldi, chair of the Political Commission of the European Union.

Other Italian speakers include Raffaele Bonanni, general secretary of the CISL trade union, Michaela Biancofore MP and secretary of the Foreign Affairs Commission in the Italiaj chamber of deputies, and Professor Vittorio Sgarbi speaking on the role of art and culture in bringing countires closer together.

As well as the Senate, the conference, 'Relations between Russia and the EU after 2012' is being hosted by the Universita Europea del Mediterraneo (UNIMED).

Notes to editors

The conference will take place on Wednesday July 6 at Senato della Repubblica - Sala Zuccari, presso Palazzo Giustiniani, Via della Dogana Vecchia, 29 Roma.

Journalists are welcome to attend the event and need to register with Adam Powell or Alisa Charkova (details below).

A copy of the programme is attached plus biographies of the speakers.