31. 03. 10. - 14:00

Busek to be EU-Russia Centre president

Former People’s Party (ÖVP) Vice Chancellor Erhard Busek will be the new president of the EU-Russia Centre in Brussels, it was announced today (Weds).

Busek will succeed former international high representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina Paddy Ashdown, who is stepping down after four years in the job.

Busek said today that he would try to dispel the image of Russia as an "enemy" in his new post. He added that he saw the centre as "an advocate for Russia in the European Union and for the European Union in Russia."

His goal, he said, would be to promote dialogue and mutual understanding. He noted in that regard that he was also president of the Vienna International Center for Advanced and Comparative EU-Russia/NIS Research (ICEUR) that promotes economic and scientific dialogue between the European Union and Russia.

Busek called the Brussels centre a "non-profit organisation" and an "independent information and competency resource" that will function as a platform for EU-Russian relations and promote "observance by both sides of international standards for key elements of civil society such as democracy, human rights and impartial justice."

He also noted the centre was financially independent of governments since it was financed by private individuals and foundations.

Busek was special coordinator of the EU-Southeast Europe Stability Pact from 2002 to 2008. He speaks English, French and Italian, in addition to his native German.