The "secret defense" information exchange agreement with Russia finalized

(B2) The European Union will sign an agreement with Russia allowing the exchange of classified information (NB: the summit with Russia takes place on November 18). Hired six years ago — in November 2003, the Council authorized the High Representative to enter into negotiations —, the negotiation process took several years to reach a conclusion. A text had finally been finalized just... before the summer of 2008. But the Russo-Georgian war postponed the signature.

It's the FSB, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation which is responsible for "coordinate actions taken to implement" of the agreement, on the Russian side; the European Commission's Security Directorate (responsible: Commissioner Kallas) and the Council's Security Office, on the European side. Notable fact: the Russian language is used as " authentic language with the English language. Download the agreement