The aim of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) is to encourage political, commercial, economic and cultural cooperation between Russia and the EU. It is the embodiment of the joint commitment of the EU and Russia to promote partnership and understanding for mutual benefit.

Signed in June 1994, the PCA entered into force in December 1997 and opened a new chapter in EU-Russia relations. This comes at the completion of a ratification process, which has involved the Russian Parliament, the European Parliament and the Parliaments of the 15 EU Member States. Mutually binding commitments were set out in the 112 articles, ten annexes, two protocols and several joint declarations of the original Agreement.

The PCA represents a visionary commitment from both sides. It is ambitious in scope, covering almost all aspects of European Community-Russia trade, commercial and economic relations, and instituting political communication up to the highest levels. It places a respect for human rights and democratic processes at the very core of the relationship. It is truly comprehensive: covering subjects as diverse as the exchange of best practice and know-how on the management of postal systems, to the conservation and preservation of sites and monuments.

The process of the PCA ratification was complicated by a number of circumstances, even temporarily suspended by the EU due to Russian forces’ military hostilities in Chechnya. With the start of peaceful negotiations in Chechen republic the ratification process resumed: in October-November 1996 the PCA was ratified by the State Duma and the Federation Council, in October 1997 it’s ratification was completed by the EU member-states. The Agreement came into force on December 1, 1997.

Up to that moment the parties’ relations were regulated by the Interim Trade Agreement, which was signed in June 1995. This Agreement provided WTO-based treatment for EU-Russia trade, removing many restrictions previously imposed on exports to the EU, granting better protection of intellectual property rights, and removing differences in duties on imports.

Three committees have been set up to ensure that the provisions of the PCA are observed and implemented. The Cooperation Council meets at ministerial level once a year. The Cooperation Committee, composed of senior EU and Russian civil servants, assists the Cooperation Council. The Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, made up of Members of the European Parliament and the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, has the authority to make recommendations to the Cooperation Council.