The relations between the European Union and Russia constantly evolve and they are mainly based on the lack of a new special agreement, but instead, since 2009, it has been worked upon a Partnership for Modernisation - both technical and political. In the framework of this dialogue is also achieving a visa-free travel for European and Russian citizens. In the past years the economic relations between the two sides have grown significantly, as Russia is till holding the third place of a most important partner of the EU, after the US and China. The EU exports goods worth 87bn euro for Russia, which is 6.4% of all the exports of the Union, and imports 158bn euro in goods, according to 2010 data, which is 10.5% of all the imports.

This makes the EU the biggest market for Russian goods. Russia mainly exports for Europe energy raw materials. Of its entire oil exports 88% go for the EU, 70% of the natural gas and 50% of the foal exports. It is the energy dependence of the EU, especially of some of its member states, from Russia, that is a reason for constant tensions, both inside the Union itself and in its relations with Moscow. Foreign policy is also often a reason for clashes between the two sides. In this subject euinside follows mainly the EU-Russia summits, and in broader  perspective the development of Russia itself. The energy issue is broadly developed in another subject.