---

EU: Russia (EUC Report)

I thank all noble Lords who have contributed to this debate. It has been longer than I expected, so I shall be shorter than I hope many expect. I thank the Front Benches, including my noble friend Lord Dykes for giving in many ways a different view on the Russian relationship, and the noble Lord, Lord Howell, for effectively writing our next call for evidence in a future study. I also thank the noble Lord, Lord Hannay, for all the drafting changes he made to the report, even after he left the committee, which found them very useful indeed. I also thank our staff and our Clerks, Kathryn Colvin and Oliver Fox, for bringing this report together. The thing that struck me throughout this debate was the importance of Russia and its presence to our east in Europe. It is impossible to ignore and we have to get on with Russia. Perhaps there is a chance that the United States will even have a better relationship with Russia than Europe does. One thing that has been clear during the committee’s studies of the EU and China is that whereas China may often show disappointment at the lack of coherence and power in Europe, it is a badge of honour to Russia, in a way, to prove that Europe does not work and is not at one. That particularly suits it in terms of its major export, energy. Perhaps the lesson that we need to learn from the crisis between Russia and the EU is that it is up to Europe to respond both as individual member states and in unity, so that we do not have the sort of situation that we had, not so much in the Georgia crisis as in the energy crisis. Once again, I thank all Members for their contributions to this debate. Motion agreed.