all the time we have for this week and thanks for being on the kinds of reports it's been my pleasure thank you all right and that's going to do it for this edition of the kaiser report with me max kaiser and stacy herbert i want to thank my guest jeff brown and if you want to send me an e-mail please do so at kaiser report at r t t v are you if you have a suggestion for a guest or you'd like to be a guest send me an e-mail has a report at r t t v are you until next time the guys are saying bye i.

guess and live from our studios in central moscow this is r.t. certainly glad to have you with us let's take a look at your top story thousands of demonstrators that remain outside the greek parliament as the government gives its final approval to hard hitting spending cuts and tax hikes the ratification secures an e.u. bailout bill stave off athens defaulting on its loans it's been met with weeks of protests and rioting that have left over three hundred people injured and many others detained. and budget cuts has also flared in the u.k. as a one day public sector strike closed twelve thousand schools in england and wales workers walked out over pay and pensions hitting job centers and passport offices and border controls the pension cuts are part of a wider. i could just austerity measures started by the coalition government in

london when it took power in may. and even handed and the diplomatic approach to russia calls on the un to carefully consider its handling of syria foreign minister sergey lavrov pointed out the un's hard line on damascus while it allowed a civil war to rage in yemen this comes as a lot of rather strongly criticized the france for reportedly dropping arms to libyan rebels saying if the claims are true they represent a clear breach of the u.n. resolution. now with many countries watching their spending at the moment the cost of sending delegates or hosting international summits is being scrutinised the recent russia e.u. conference has critics asking if we're getting value for money to answer this i'll grant off talks to the head of the european union's delegation to russia fernando vallance waya that's coming up on spotlight next.

culture is that so much of the human and there's a huge musician apparently trying to hide from the market black market and standoff in libya is there a military solution to the conflict in libya and a stable democratic and whole libya if you create. a welcome to spotlight the interview show on arts and i'll do your bidding today my guest in the studio is fed. up with. the recent rush that has led some of the diplomats questioning your true officials to critics saying such summits cost too much and aren't very effective but maybe this lady was an exceptional russian and you feel need is compromised the moscow's ban on european vegetables and blueprinted progress either these are for you regime but is there anything that

still remains and so here's the head of the european union delegation to russia for the. oscars ban on back to the european vegetables stole the headlines of the russian e.u. summit. some other topics moscow wanted to discuss like the countess a paid a visit the regime talks on that started almost a decade ago the progress has been slow russia you are still going through consultations and experts say they will take at least a month but the fact that words have become actions they say should be seen as a sign of optimism. leave. thank you very much for coming thank you well first of all i want to start with this main question this this may news that came out after the summit in new. the russians i mean diplomats reporters experts started questioning the frequency of

the summit the efficiency of the summit that really are costly so is it true and do you think that it really may become a case there that there that the frequency of the summit will be reduced or not i mean everything is possible but it's not something that is on the agenda right now this has never been discussed and are things that for the time being at least this frequency of the summit certain a certain value are summits or an opportunity of course on the one hand to solve issues of problems but not only that it's also an opportunity a unique opportunity for leaders to get together to get to know each other better to discuss about issues of common interest not only of all the way lateral relationship but also how do we perceive in c. certain problems in the world how to solve them and they have this opportunity which i think is sincerely valuable. this week actually on

july the first poland is taking chairmanship in the european union and this country is anything but indifferent towards russia we have a special relations with poland and we have problems in our relations with poland well what do you expect from polish chairmanship in the european union and do you think that poland will have a special russian agenda for his chairmanship. i don't know i mean pollen is going to present his priorities for the presidency of the opinion soon. of course things have changed since the enter into force of the lisbon treaty and now all the rotating presidency has no longer the responsibility for external relations or the . presidency of the european council. but it has is still the responsibility of the presidency for a number of issues of you policies and i'm sure that poland will make

a very good presidency they have been preparing themselves for that we know that we know that they are ready and i have no doubt that they will have will do a very good presidency and in terms of a russian poland relations russia e.u. relations do you think that that poland polish presidency will. play some role in making this russian issue special for the e.u. and for the russians with well they were not directly in the sense that they are not responsible for the foreign relations in there actually on a number of issues it might might have of course a bearing but but not on what is the bilateral relations between russia and the e.u. which is a matter now for the institutions in brussels. on the twenty seventh of june russian and the european union diplomats had their meeting and these are related

issues and agreed on some joint action steps on the way to these are free travel could you specify what have these joint action steps well this is something that came out of the not this dust summit but the previous summit where we agreed that the best way to be more efficient in making progress would be to identify were of the problems which are the issues that need to be solved in order to reach one day these bits of regime so we don't these after that this working groups got together start working identifying which. those issues would be now they have almost come to an end not completely and that's why i cannot give you a completely stop it because it's still been been dealt with but i'm quite convinced that in a matter of perhaps a few weeks we would have at least of these come steps that we call because are steps that we are going to tackle together and the idea is that when this is steps

article we will get to the views of the regime this may be a still a long process let's not create false potentials of this because some of these steps will be relatively simple in fast all those will take longer not for the matter of lack of will to solve them but simply because the issues are more complex issues related to for instance for me gratian from the countries issues related to with a border control number of issues which are not simple and you cannot resolve just in one day. when you say. hard issues difficult issues issues that will take years to tackle you mean the ball is on russian side or both or both i mean there will be you know in our view there will be more balls on the russian side absent from the russian point of that there will be more votes on also expected to be a two way to a try but they said to wait to yes ok you mentioned border control well actually

the e.u. is a funny organization on the one hand they're talking with russia on a visa free regime something that was unthinkable of like ten twenty years ago russians coming that of unity but on the other hand you are. imposing mechanisms to to put border control inside this shadow again zone inside that you're at b. which is funny i mean i mean this sounds like a complete contradiction don't you think so i think it sounds like a contradiction but let's be let's be concrete i think this measures that have been approved are first exceptional measures to be applied exceptionally and. temporally the russians say there is nothing as as constant as temporary measures and sometimes sometimes it's true but i feel that this is not the is not the case now i think this is this is meant to deal with very political situations i think the case in place was this case in which on the other hand italy and france agreed that

these migrants that came all of the southern due to the tunisian and libyan crisis in that were caught in italy going into france and also then france realize that there was a need to to establish to control these doesn't mean to reestablish the borders or to resettle is the customs or anything like that but simply a control of identity for the people going through this does not in any way of course affect the rights of the different e.u. nationals and citizens who have the right to move freely around in the e.u. cetera or all the people that are that have a document that allows them like for instance the visa to travel around freely so this is a matter of control not a matter of establishing a prohibition or a limitation but these limitations inside europe limitations on free travel for and they will not. influence the process of negotiating the russian well

ok the e.u. nationals that work and russia that stay in russia you know a lot of them and you know their main complaints they all complain about the bureaucratic hassle the bureaucratic restrictions in russia one of them is the registration we have to have registration wherever you go in russia and this is a headache for for europeans there was the issue of the registration and maybe other problems faced by europeans in russia what they discussed during the summit and did russia promise anything to to make it easier to live life easier for you when i. that on the one hand i think we have to take note it's very important that russia already modify somehow the legislation this year and exactly to make it easier and less less of a difficulty this whole thing up our registration the delays for a few stray ssion in all aspects so that this one one thing that i think we have to

acknowledge the other thing is that when we are discussing of all the free regime. in due course this would also imply aspects of registration not only in russia but also in india in the which we are going to discuss the sufi mean we are going to discuss about free access. one to another territory so yes in that respect the commitment is that we will discuss everything and russia has not objected to this but of course this will come in due course speaking about lawmaking at the state duma deputy that mr lebedev proposed recently a draft law aiming to punish foreign citizens including e.q. nationals who i quote violated the rights of russian citizens and the law implies freezing bank accounts of such individuals. do you think the e.u. will somehow reacts to this legislation i don't know i cannot say because of course this this is only one one line we will have to look at it and see exactly what is

on it what we of course expect is whatever decision is taken it will be a decision that will be according to international standards and international principles and of course a quarantine by law and by the just happens that it will be unprecedented would well but it happens i mean if you commit a crime i don't know if we are talking that in you citizen or whoever commits a crime well it has to be trial and brought to justice to be trial and eventually can be condemned to something so if all that is the case in his own in the proper way there is nothing to object of course if that's not exactly the case all things are not talking in the proper way then there is a problem that says fernandez head of the european union delegation to russia spotlight we'll be back shortly to take a break so stay with us we'll continue this interview in the time.

from welcome to wanted is a film called. under the one you are trying to share with us. a deal under fire and fighting for his life gadhafi son speaks to the city. i was just thinking about my future before the foreign companies came i dreamed of owning a can cutting factory. but we have less garbage now. somebody that or so you come here and make fun of me. picking up garbage boy i'm

not bad like people think. i'm a good person. it's just that people don't see me. but i feel it was time people like me and. i feel people will start to appreciate us. welcome back to spotlight algren arbonne just a reminder that my guest in the studio today is the overland head of the european union delegation to russia. mr belin so on that recently on june the eighth the phone that mistake of prime minister putin made the remark he said travel rules

should be equal for all russian citizens but this remark caused a concern among the citizens of the russians who live in kaliningrad because there they have been discussions on a special agreement on special travel rules for the people because they live in an unpaved so. so will these will these discussions. be continued despite this remark but. i i i cannot judge of all the remarks of course because it's made by the prime minister second i don't have the moments but the situation is that the people from kaliningrad have already a special regime which is a typical regime for. cross border traffic so people that the near the border normally have a special regime because both size goals are instances where would you say i mean is normal is not only occasion kaliningrad in the e.u. but is in many other parts of of our borders and in other parts of the world in

fact and the question now is this regime is somehow being reconsidered to see if it has to stay as it is all it has to be enlarged made more flexible so we are working on it on in or on our side we are simply working and it looking at the process in calls of different solutions and to be will see where it is the agreement so so so the europeans they do believe that people like the current grad living in the special and special places like an angle as they should have special special regulations press with i've always been sensitive to these and as i say i mean we have this kind of arrangements with over all the areas ok the. e.u. summit was overshadowed by this round of the vegetables the scandal when the russians banned all european vegetables and russia is i think the biggest market for

european vegetables so. are you sure do you think that this is fair that this problem had to be solved by president medvedev and the leaders of the european countries should it take such a high level to solve such a problem you know probably probably probably what happened is that this. happened just a few days before the summit i said i hope that is the cucumber is all ok. this verse of being responsible of something that they have not done because is it is not of all the local god gave i think with them as we keep this. historical moment but not what happened is that this problem arises in the band also took place just a few days before the summit so logically the issue was not solved by the time of the summit and the time it had to look at it. all the wise probably would have been different but i think this simply shows also that some minutes and the boredom

sells to how political issues are complex issues but also two very practical ones well the deadly strain of bacteria e-coli has taken dozens of lives it has spoiled relations between countries spotlights you limited me there has more on this issue . the may outbreak of the like in germany was in the shoah blamed on cucumbers from spain delegation caused sales of vegetables to collapse by the time cucumbers were proved not to be the source binge farmers had lost more than two hundred million euros and made speculations what caused the outbreak russia decided to stay on the safe side and banned the import of all e.u. vegetables at the beginning of june that soured the country's ruination with the european union which called the russian move disproportionate the burn came as a serious blow to the european economy is russia buys a quarter of all fresh vegetables exported by the e.u.

meanwhile this search for the infections led to bin sprouts from northern germany and later it was reported that it was water which contaminated they took the bulls the vegetable we should talk they gender at the russian e.u. summit in may june both sides. eventually greed and conditions for the removal of the embargo while the danger to both problem seems to have been resolved russia's agricultural watchdog has banned inputs from thirteen milk and meat factories in germany check show factories failed to comply with russian how safe it is standards . who are so far only netherlands and belgium other countries cucumbers are free to travel to russia without the. what's the problem of the others i mean the day the other european countries they didn't give didn't provide the necessary documents so why would i think our first let me say that this

is not our model these digitals of this country or that of the country to come in this is in european union matter. so i suppose that what we are simply talking about is different stages in which the process is taking place. what it was agreed the summit of course agreed on lifting the ban under certain conditions that had to be taking achille arranged this took place last week and there was a technical agreement on which are this e.u. which it all screwed be exported to russia or imported in russia come in with a certificate that in e.u. certificate extended by the national laboratories that the e.u. would. notify russia would certify that these products of course were. necessary center conditions. so what happens is that some countries that the

commission notified to the russian authorities first bunch of laboratories for a number of countries now i think i think not i'm sure of that and laboratories from other countries have been also communicated and i think that the case here is that the first ones were these ones so in. good logic the first products to get here were the ones of the first laboratories that had been communicated to the russian authorities so this is simply a matter of time and of course of having the necessary certificates and for the products to come to the russian customs were the products and he said the case will be very fine. let's talk about the w.t. one of the favorite subjects to talk when it concerns russia and europe doubly turns one of one of the heads of all the discussion so so let's stay in this stay in the trend and the customs union russia because a stand. they are developing this custom union and it's called one of the main

obstacles on the way of russia's joining the w t o is it really an obstacle and if it is what so what's so strange about it for the europeans no i think the question is the following and i don't think it is an obstacle right now is not an obstacle right now because of russia decided to accede individually to t.w. to your and of course then make the necessary adjustments within the course of sheen for that what was it problem and was mainly a problem of time was to try to made a custom jean a member of the gluteal not because that is impossible in any way but simply because that would have meant to begin negotiations practically from scratch so i think this was the decision that was taken by russia was the right decision and our i think that we are very close now and in any case the customs union is not an issue on the table at this moment ok now another thing. i wanted to ask you is

about one of your interviews that you gave well some while ago you are quoted as saying that you said that the monopole lies in gazprom would be a good thing for russia well when i read that i said mr bullen so there's too much of a diplomat this is not. thing did you say something about gaspar recently even i don't i don't remember anything specific like you have to be friends you know this doesn't sound like you but what do you think about gazprom is a big company big tower and they do really agree that there are the polarization because it is a monopoly it calls itself a gas monopoly but they say they say they are alike and reginald monopoly i mean they should be able to have that do you think that it may be monopolized and it may be good for russia or for russian partners abroad this is of course is a matter of opinion so on it is that there is not one truth this is

a matter of opinion and you can feel it one way or another. on the e.u. side we are not favorable to monopolies in general is not talking about that's probably talking about monopolies in general because we believe that competition is a better way and a better instrument to get fish and see to get better prices to get quality for the consumers so this is our approach but of course is one on is own a specific situation and circumstances has to take its own decisions we cannot enter into that. question the russian energy companies which are gazprom gasper of near to grasp from gaza and gas from whatever. russian energy companies they are complaining that they have a lot of barriers in the european union. the barriers there are not letting them access the markets is it true and is the e.u. really to compromise and what have you i don't think that this exact or correct i

think that precisely i know that this third package which is the last legislation that the e.u. has passed on the energy market has elements or need that are not of the liking of russia. and the russian companies but is strong in the. the there are reasons we how far are reasons but i think one one aspect is normally underestimated the third package geese precisely the right to foreign companies including the russian companies to accede to the e.u. market i think this is more than we can save your way around so i think that even if the third package is true that introduces some measures these measures are not meant for russian companies that are meant for all the companies they are also meant for evil companies so they are not discriminatory and in exchange they give the russian companies right off axis thank you thank you for not it was a pleasure talking to you as usual and jessica reminded that my guest in the studio

today was karen and overland so well that head of the european union delegation to rush and that's certain out from all spotlight will be back with more for us and comment on what's going on and outside russia until then stay on our team and take it thank you.