The EU and Russia have a strong interest to work together to foster political, social and economic stability in Russia, in the region and worldwide. Cooperation in research and development, education and culture should contribute to this objective.

EU Policy Aims

Increased cooperation in the field of research and development, education and culture will contribute to increased cooperation between institutions and people working on common challenges, better knowledge of differing history and culture and more contacts among people, particularly the young. 

EU Strategy

At the St. Petersburg Summit in May 2003, the EU and Russia agreed to set up a‘Common Space of Research and Education, Including Cultural Aspects’.

In the area of research and development the objective is to enhance EU-Russia cooperation in mutually agreed priority fields and create favourable conditions, corresponding to the interests of both parties, aimed at

• structuring a knowledge-based society in the EU and Russia;
• promoting a high rate of competitiveness and economic growth by modernization of the national economies and implementation of advanced scientific achievements;
• strengthening and optimizing the links between research and innovation;
• maintaining small and medium size entrepreneurship in the field of research and innovation.

In the area of education the objective is to encourage integration and closer cooperation within the framework of the new European Higher Education Area in accordance with the main provisions of the Bologna Process, aiming in particular at:

• adopting comparable higher education degrees;
• adopting a two-tier “bachelor-master” and as soon as possible a three-tier “bachelor-master-doctorate” education system;
• introducing a credit system, aimed at practicing the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) to check the volume of the taught subjects;
• promoting academic mobility;
• cooperating in the provision of learning quality;
• introducing integrated curricula at higher education institutions;
• promoting life-long learning;
• modifying the management of higher education institutions with a view to adapting  students learning to labour market changes;
• increasing the attractiveness of the higher education systems in Russia and in the EU.

In the area of culture there are three objectives:

• to promote a structured approach to cultural cooperation between the enlarged EU and Russia, to foster the creativity and mobility of artists, public access to culture, the dissemination of art and culture, inter-cultural dialogue and knowledge of the history and cultural heritage of the peoples of Europe.
• to strengthen and enhance the European identity on the basis of common values, including freedom of expression, democratic functioning of the media, respect of human rights including the rights of persons belonging to minorities and promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity as a basis of vitality of civil society in Europe without dividing lines.
• to develop cooperation between the cultural industries of the EU and Russia in order to increase both their cultural and economic impact.

Read more about Research and development, education, culture at: http://ec.europa.eu/culture/our-policy-development/doc397_en.htm