The Financial Times is reporting that progress toward regularized EU-Russian collaboration will be negatively impacted by the lack of progress on the Lisbon Treaty ratification. Russian officials want to see the ratification process move ahead, in part for the clarity it would bring with respect to foreign affairs: “"With the Lisbon treaty in force and a clearer picture of how the EU is organised it would have been easier to negotiate the pact‚¬Â°.‚¬Â°.‚¬Â°.‚¬Â°I hope it won't delay the negotiating process," says Moscow's ambassador to Brussels, Vladimir Chizhov.
In light of looming energy resource issues and a desire for stable relations with the enlarging Union's Eastern neighbor, European officials have been hard at work crafting a ‘high-level’ discourse on issues including trade and investments with Russian counterparts.
The Lisbon Reform Treaty forsees the creation of a European Foreign Minister and a term (though permanent) European President, arguably giving other nations – to quote Henry Kissinger – a “number to call when they want to talk to Europe.”