Field meeting of the Parliamentary Cooperation Committee was held in Sochi on May 17-18
The event was attended by MEPs, Members of the State Duma, representatives of regional authorities and experts.
Issues of the meeting were: international cooperation in the field of sport as part of the 2014 Olympics, as well as issues of youth policy and international youth cooperation were discussed . Co-Chair of the Committee Andrey Klimov, made a proposal to establish a visa-free regime as a preliminary step for holders of passports of both the EU and Russia, born in 1989 and later
JOINT STATEMENT OF THE CO-CHAIRMEN OF THE
EU-RUSSIA PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION COMMITTEE
Sochi, 17-18 May 2011
As a result of the discussion at the third Working Group of the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee;
Reiterating their aim to continue and intensify cooperation in order to come to a united, prosperous and democratic Europe without dividing lines, where the four EU-Russia Common Spaces will have been effectively implemented, thus facilitating comprehensive cooperation and people-to-people contacts;
Underlining the importance of further steps towards full and mutual visa liberalisation, up to a visa-free regime between the EU and Russia including abolition of all kind of cumbersome registration requirements on both sides;
Recognising the positive role youth could play in the local, regional and global processes;
Urging closer cooperation on youth issues between the EU and Russia aiming at further improving mutual relations in the upcoming years;
Prior to the decision of introducing a visa-free regime between the EU and Russia:
1) Call for establishing a visa-free regime as a preliminary step for holders of passports of both the EU and Russia, born in 1989 and later;
2) Therefore suggest that the European Commission and the Government of the Russian Federation include this issue into the agenda of the next EU-Russia summit.