The European Union hopes to settle all the remaining issues concerning the formation of four common spaces of the EU and Russia by the Moscow May summit, said Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU's external relations commissioner.

I believe the remaining issues will be settled and we shall come to a compete understanding, she said to journalists in Moscow.

In her words, at present, several issues concerning the formation of four common spaces of the EU and Russia, i.e., the economic space, the external and internal security spaces, and the cultural space have not been settled to the end.

Benita Ferrero-Waldner pointed out that the EU would like to have the agreement on the four common spaces to be adopted in a single package and have a common preliminary statement. In her words, this is Russia's proposal, and they have to discuss the text of the statement now.

She also said that the sides had a number of questions related to the external security space. Apart from this, the sides will have to discuss the issues of facilitating the visa regime.

An agreement on measures to facilitate the visa regime may be signed at the summit on May 10, but only if the agreement on readmission (return of illegal immigrants) is ready by that time. This goal is easy to achieve, Benita Ferrero-Waldner said.

She declined to disclose the details of the document which is being drafted and only said that it provided for an easier visa regime for some categories of citizens. As she said, negotiations are still ahead, and therefore she could not disclose the details.

In replying to the question about the European Union's position on the problem of national minorities in Baltic countries, Benita Ferrero-Waldner pointed out that the Council of Europe was actively working on that issue. In her words, the Baltic countries have been given quite a few recommendations in this sphere, but this is a sensitive issue that must be settled gradually.

She also said that she would favor Russia's encouragement of the compatriots living in Baltic countries to take citizenship of those countries.