The leaders of ELDR’s Russian member parties, the People’s Democratic Union (PDU) and Yabloko, spoke on Wednesday at a conference organised by the liberal democrat group in the European Parliament about the steps that need to be taken for Russia to break free from the shackles of the past and become a modern, democratic country. The theme of this conference was set against the backdrop of the EU-Russia partnership for modernisation that was launched last year.

Commenting on the current state of play in Russia, Mikhail Kasyanov, leader of PDU and former prime minister of the country, said that this is an important twelve months for Russia with parliamentary elections taking place in December and the presidential election in March 2012. "Russian people are starting to see that the promises made by President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin are not being kept and they want more freedom and prosperity, which is not being delivered by the current government. However, it remains to be seen if the elections will really be ‘elections’ in the European sense" stated Mr Kasyanov, alluding to the fact that opportunities for democratic opposition parties to participate in elections are still heavily restricted with the concept of free and fair elections seemingly remaining a goal rather than a reality, the realisation of which is essential if Russia is to become a modern, democratic society.

Reflecting on past developments before looking ahead to the role that the EU can play in the development of Russia, Sergey Mitrokhin, leader of Yabloko, observed, "the doors to democracy opened following the collapse of communism in Russia, but these have rapidly been closed and the democratic agenda that was promised in the past has not been implemented" Mr Mitrokhin added that, "the EU needs to be a source of cultural and social values that can flow into Russia, including joint education programmes and student exchanges. Implementation of such initiatives will aid the democratic development of the country and in turn facilitate its modernisation".

Kristiina Ojuland MEP (Reform Party, Estonia), ALDE spokesperson on EU-Russia relations said that the European Parliament is keeping a close eye on developments in Russia and at the initiative of the liberal democrat group in the Parliament a resolution stressing the importance of the rule of law in Russia will be discussed during next week’s plenary session in Strasbourg. "We believe that a modernisation of Russia should not only entail economic and market reforms but also calls for greater democracy, political freedoms, and respect for human rights and the rule of law. I would very much welcome a prompt resolution by the European Parliament on the situation regarding the rule of law in Russia."

This conference built on discussions that took place when an ELDR Party delegation visited Moscow in June 2010 for a high level conference and meetings in which Russia’s future relationship with the EU was the focus of the debate.