Commissioner van den Broek visits Russia
During a recent visit to Moscow and St. Petersburg, Mr. Hans van den Broek, Commissioner responsible for external relations with the countries of Eastern and Central Europe, stressed the importance of EU-Russian relations: "The European Union is Russia's main trading partner and the single largest donor. Russia is a vital partner for the European Union because of our joint role in promoting stability and prosperity in Europe". Mr. van den Broek's trip to Russia follows the visit to the Commission, on 18 July 1997, by Prime Minister Chernomyrdin. The purpose was to provide an opportunity for further and more in-depth discussion of the various subjects raised during the previious meeting with Mr. Chernomyrdin and to focus on areas of closer cooperation. In this context, Commissioner van den Broek noted that "On the threshold of the entering into force of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, our joint activities are widening far beyond the scope of mere trade issues". In particular, Mr. van den Broek presented a detailed Commission proposal for the training of young Russian managers in EU enterprises. In St. Petersburg, the Commissioner met with regional leaders and visited the successful TACIS project which has trained thousands of former Red Army officers to become business managers.
Countries
Russia