From Lisbon to Vladivostok: Putin Envisions an EU-Russian Free Trade Zone

From Lisbon to Vladivostok: Putin Envisions an EU-Russian Free Trade Zone

I'm in big favor of a possible Free Trade Area between the European Union! It would be magnificent. However, a while ago I wanted to make a thread about "Is Russia European?" -- so I went on research. And what I found was an article of 2007 which stated that Russians view themselves as a seperate culture/group -- meaning, no -- that they aren't Europeans. The article also said that the Russian elite is far more pro-European than the general Russian woman or man in the street -- as it always has been (e.g. Peter the Great who came travelling undercover in Europe and envisioned an "Europeanization of Russia").

I really apllaud this for numerous reasons.

First off, on a personal level I'm fascinated by many countries (Iran, Brazil, USA, Israel, South Africa, China, Japan, India, Congo, Lebanon, Russia, Argentina,... it really doesn't stop ) but Russia is like the "big unknown" in certain aspects. Sure, anyone knows a bit of Soviet history and all of that -- but for instance I don't know anything about those Great Russian writers. I know some vague stuff I remeber from high school (like a man in St Petersburg walking in the fog,... -- I don't know the name of the book or the author). So, I just know that Russian has many great writers. Then ofcourse the Hermitage which houses a lot of Flemish painters. I know names like Cathernine The Great, Peter The Great,... To cut a long story short: I believe that there are many "misunderstandings" and "un-understandings".

Secondly, this will enhances trade and trigger economic growth which will benefit all of us -- Russian and Europeans alike.

To adress an other issue, it will create a MASSIVE area of free trade and an area of free movement never seen in history. It literally would be possible to travel from Dublin to the border with North Korea without any restrictions. This is fascinating!

Also, it would "appease" certain conflicts -- which are in fact not neccessary. There is talk about a "New Great Game" in the Caucasus -- but with a Russia-EU past this process of competition would be transformed into a process of co-operation.

To close, I personally believe that this co-operation will promote democratic values and human rights in Russia when it will come into the scope of the European Union.

What are your thoughts?!

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One step closer to a world government is what I think.

 

Hey, I still need to make my thread about a Transatlantic Union -- what a magnificance would that be? (I'm being serious btw)

 

That would be about the worst thing ever.

Why would you give up national soverignty to be apart of a bloated beuracracy that affords no benefits over being a sovreign nation.

 

Putin knew exactly when to make his move. He is brilliant! The man wasn't born in the United States, but since that doesn't matter to anybody anyway, maybe we could convince him to run for our presidency. If we were really lucky, he might just accept! On his worst day, Putin is smarter than Bush and Obama put together....

The Chinese are pissed off at us, the South Koreans are pissed off at us, the Germans are pissed off at us, and the Indians, Indonesians, Japanese and Brazilians think we've turned into a nation of irresponsible, stupid beggars. The PIGS countries and other bottom-feeders are on life-support, and so is the United States, thanks to Bernanke, Geithner, and, of course, their handpuppet, Barack Obama.

Printing even more hundreds of billlions of worthless dollars and stuffing them into banks along with all the other hundreds of billions of other worthless dollars is a really horrible idea -- unless you're a banker! And Bernanke loves his insider bankers, stock market gamblers, and all the other criminal creeps that have been propped up by both the Bush and Obama administrations. American taxpayers are just "toilet paper" to these people, and we can all just go to hell as far as Bernanke is concerned....

Prediction: by next summer we'll all start hoarding canned goods and ammunition and wondering what the hell has happened to our lives....

 

Putin's a deadly killer, but he's a helluva mover & shaker. He also loves his country and will stomp anybody's head to protect it.

I don't like him on many levels, but he's the leader that every troubled and/or weak country should aspire to these days....minus the "king for life" and KGB angles.

 

Putin's Free-Trade Proposal Is 'Just a Smokescreen'

 

I personally think it is a seducing proposal, and it wouldn't be smart not to seize such a nice opportunity to build a warmer and stronger relationship with Russia. Of course we should be careful of the terms and conditions of this alliance; but I can't help to see this as a positive outcome for all parties involved.

 

Before to do that I consider that Russia should make movements to be truely democratic, and not this fascistoid system that they have now. And would be better if Russia becomes again a URSS, but this time, a completely democratic one and run by the people.

 

Not going to happen, Kilgram.

Is Russia European?

By Maria Ordzhonikidze and Lev Gudkov

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Nice propaganda cartoon.

That Russian bear looks pretty peaceful compared to some depictions of the British bulldog.

You might as well survey the British people to see if the majority feel much European?

Whatever the result, it won't change the fact that the UK is a reliable EU partner.

 

I am confident that the free trade zone can increase industrial development in the EU and Russia. It's not good when the real production capacity goes to developing countries. This event undermine the real economy of European countries. It is necessary to find a way to keep production in Europe. A duty-free regime between EU and Russia will let Russia to win markets in the EU for metal production industry and chemical industry, and the industry in the EU will have access to cheaper resources.But I do not think that the visa regime will be introduced in BLT. The main reason is the excessive open borders.

P.S. Oh, please, do not cram in every post stamps on human rights and democracy, better watch out for yourself!

 

Putin still flatly denies that he is head of a mafia-like organized crime cadre that has become the Russian government. It was reported back in 2007 that Putin personally had siezed over $40 billion in state assets, making him the richest man on the continent.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...n-accused-of-running-mafia-state-2148819.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1573354/40bn-Putin-is-now-Europes-richest-man.html

Evidently, a good case can be made that Putin isn't so much interested in free trade as he is with extending his power into Europe.

How do you feel about that?

 

Whatever you have all been smoking I want some!

I always laugh when someone espouses the great leap of progress that comes with so called free trade.

First the only leap of progress that comes is that some poor peasant in Eastern Europe who had to sell her body for a hit of crack cocaine, can now luxuriate in her 16 hour factory job where she can make $10 a day and make cheap products for Americans who think they are doing her a favour, by buying her factory's product but seem to forget that the company who makes the product is a susidiary of the American company who found out through the free trade agreement they could make the product for about 90% cheaper labor costs if they moved their factories off shore into some less fortunate depressed economiclly environment.

What happens when the American companies think China, India and South American factory workers are getting more wgaes than they can afford. Do we go then to Africa and what happens when they are getting enough wages for the companies that they are not making enough profit for the shareholders.

Anyone who think you can do free trade with Russia is absolutely certifiably crazy. I mean there is enough data to show just to run a coffee house in Moscow you need to pay the local council "tarrifs/taxes", the city "tarrifs/taxes", the state or regional "tarrifs/taxes" and the Kremlin their share.

And you think they would have any trouble gauging foreign companies and governments for bribes, yeah there you go I said it bribes.

Putin is only a seemingly good politician because he is running defacto Soviet state, which is so inundated with corruption that it makes the mafia run New York of the 70's look like a innocent little ma and pa business.

No political dissent, a highly invasive secret police service, a centralized controlled government, an affiliation around the world with terror/nationalist groups fighting duly elected governments and influence on former soviet states and their political and trade policies which would of made Krushchev and Stalin look decidedly pacifist.

Russia is not a part of Europe never has been and never will.

 

Lol what? British newspapers are not a reliable source at any point. You should better to push out anti-Putin propaganda out of your brains.

 

Free trade between the EU and Russia sounds like a great idea to me.

As for mingling the political systems of the two, all I can say is - EU, do so at your own peril.

 

After almost a year -- taking note of Germany's failure to sell all of their government bonds (!!!) -- I thought about EU-Russia relations now.

EU needs market, Russia needs modernization -- overall it would be a good deal.

 

This is why:

http://www.politicalforum.com/political-opinions-beliefs/205594-new-world-order.html

Please Jan, I implore you to take some time to read the OP's in this thread. It may open your eyes to the dangers of centralization of power like this, and how it is accomplished.

 

A free trade zone is one thing. A shared currency is another.

Granted, I think Russia would be smart enough not to make its currency unified with the rest of Europe.

 

Lisbon to Vladivostock would be (*)(*)(*)(*)ing huge.

 

Flag,...

I'm panicking a bit! Germany was not able to sell all of their T-bonds today -- maybe because the interest is too low, I don't know. But this is very worrying.

Russia needs modernization, ASAP -- EU needs new markets, ASAP.

And now with Russia in WTO (which you opposed, mmm ) this trade-zone is actually not much of a crazy idea anymore.

 

Dont panic. Its all fine.

And union with russia is no big deal to me.

 

Well, on the short-term it could be an utter catastrophe!

Although I suspect an orchestrated move by financial markets to that Germany would accept Eurobonds to some degree, this would mean a collectivization of European debt -- which I support.

But Eurobonds can't come falling out of the skies either!