The Russian Federation signed the Protocol on June 8, 2012, in Strasbourg. Russia has been a party to the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities since January 5, 2003. In 2008, Russia ratified the Additional Protocol and Protocol No. 2 to the Convention.
To date, 13 countries have signed Protocol No. 3 (the Russian Federation, Armenia, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Montenegro Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine), and 6 countries have ratified (Cyprus, France, Germany, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine). The Protocol came into force on March 1, 2013.
The Protocol aims to simplify cooperation between territorial communities or authorities while maintaining in place political and administrative organisations and countries’ international obligations. The Protocol defines the legal status and main rules of the ECGs’ establishment and functioning.
The ECGs’ aim is to promote, support and develop trans-frontier and inter-territorial cooperation. ECGs with Russian participation are a promising and progressive form of trans-frontier cooperation that can guarantee systemic and mutually advantageous contacts between people in Russian border regions and their neighbours in other countries.
The Protocol’s provisions do not give territorial communities and authorities powers of any sort. Their powers are set by the laws of their country of jurisdiction.
The draft Federal Law complies with the provisions of the Agreement on the Eurasian Economic Union and with the provisions of other international agreements to which Russia is party.