SWEDEN ON THE EU EASTERN PARTNERSHIP AND NORDSTREAM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 STOCKHOLM 000792

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/28/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV EU SW
SUBJECT: SWEDEN ON THE EU EASTERN PARTNERSHIP AND NORDSTREAM

REF: A. STOCKHOLM 757

B. STOCKHOLM 729

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Robert Silverman for reasons 1.4 (B) &
(D).


1. (C) Summary: The EU Foreign Ministers will discuss the
draft plan for the Eastern Partnership initiative at the
December 8 GAERC, paving the way for the first Eastern
Partnership summit scheduled for April 2009 in Prague,
according to Swedish MFA contacts. Unique features of the
Eastern Partnership include treating the region as a single
entity for social, parliamentary, and immigration issues, and
establishing target deadlines, such as a regional "deep" FTA
by 2012. Though not a security policy instrument, the
initiative has strong long-term security implications.


2. (C) On a separate note, our MFA contacts said the
Nordstream consortium's first environmental application to
Sweden was "so appalling" that the process had been set back
by at least a year, and that it could take many years before
approval to build the pipeline across Sweden's EEZ would be
granted. End Summary.

Eastern Partnership Held "Hostage" to Russia Talks
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3. (C) On November 21, Poloffs met with Johan Frisell, deputy
of the MFA's Eastern Europe desk, to deliver a demarche (ref
A) and follow up on the Eastern Partnership initiative (ref
B). As EU states prepared for the November GAERC and
EU-Russia Summit, France threatened to stall the Eastern
Partnership initiative if the Swedes and others opposed to
"business as usual" with Moscow refused to resume EU-Russia
talks, according to Frisell. But once the decision on talks
on the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement was made, Sweden
and Poland, co-drafters of the initiative, were given a green
light to "move ahead," Frisell told us. The Swedes and Poles
are now finalizing the draft plan for the Eastern
Partnership, which will be discussed by the EU Foreign
Ministers at the December 8 GAERC, he added. The EU
Commission would be in the "driver's seat" to develop the
details of the proposal, with a goal of a formal launch in
March and the first Eastern Partnership summit in Prague in
April, Frisell said.

Eastern Partnership Treats Region Holistically
-------------- -


4. (C) Asked how the Eastern Partnership differs from other
projects like the European Neighborhood Policy, Frisell
replied that the goal is the creation of a sub-region of six
states -- Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and
Georgia -- that the EU will relate to "as a whole." Efforts
to shape civil society would be done "regionally," and
parliamentary cooperation would be targeted at the
legislatures of all six states simultaneously. On
immigration, the goal would be a "visa-free regime, extending
Schengen to these countries." So rather than try to shape
the development of individual countries, Frisell said, "we
want to shape the development of this important region
adjacent to the EU." Also, future efforts at enlargement and
integration would be aimed at "making these six states work
more closely together." Frisell referred to the Western
Balkans as an example of the importance of a regional
approach.


5. (C) Another difference between the Eastern Partnership and
the EU Neighbor Policy is that the former will have "some
sort of roadmap or timetable" with target dates, including,
for example, a target date of 2012 for a regional FTA with
the EU. Saying that the goal was a deep FTA covering "goods,
services, and so forth," Frisell said that the Eastern
Partnership was essentially an "invitation" to the six states
to join the EU internal market.

Security Cooperation Not Too Direct
--------------


6. (C) Frisell pointed out that the Eastern Partnership is
not a security policy instrument per se, although its
"effects could have benefits for security in the long term"
as societal change that moves a country closer to the EU has
"security implications." "Profound EU integration is every
bit as important as Article 5," he added. Moscow is
"agnostic" on European Neighborhood Policy, in part because
it has seriously underestimated the impact of soft power. To
the extent that the Eastern Parternership's related security
cooperation remains "under the Russian radar," it will be
successful, he said. The joint-exercises and staff-to-staff
talks envisioned would be "on par" with what the EU offered
to Russia prior to the Georgia conflict.


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Energy: Not Enough Talk -- but Nordstream Stalled?
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7. (C) Energy projects that move Eastern Partnership members
closer to Europe but away from Russia would be "too
political," Frisell said. Although Nabucco has been
discussed among EU states and has a green light, little
discussion of other proposed pipelines such as Nordstream has
taken place, Frisell offered. He added that the first set of
documents presented by the Nordstream consortium in its
application for an environmental permit were "so appalling"
that the "process" has been set back at least a year.
Frisell said all public signs from Sweden's political
leadership support Nordstream, for "greater diversity leads
to decreased dependency." However, he added, "remember that
the bridge to Denmark took 8-10 years to approve" because of
challenges and appeals based on environmental concerns.
Approvals for the Nordstream pipeline to cross Sweden's EEZ
would take at least as long, said Frisell with a grin.
SILVERMAN