Russia-EU summit starts in Nizhny Novgorod

The 27th Russia-EU summit has started in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, RIA Novosti reports.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his European partners - the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, and the European Commission chief, Jose Manuel Barroso - are going to discuss the most pressing issues of Russia-EU relations, such as the visa regime and energy cooperation, as well as the thorniest issues of global politics North Africa, the Middle East, and Iran`s nuclear program, The Voice of Russia reports.The European Union is not yet ready to cancel visas for Russians. Russian Presidential Aide Sergei Prikhodkosaid that talks on visa-free travel between Russia and the EU were continuing but that no deadlines had been fixed.
The European Commission will not put the subject of the Russian ban on EU vegetable imports on the agenda of the Russia-EU summit, EU’s Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Commissioner Stefan Fule said.
Many fear that Russia’s ban on fresh vegetables from European countries may delay Russia’s WTO entry . The country says the ban is necessary to prevent the import of the deadly E.coli infection that has already killed 26 people around Europe.