Ben Judah talks to the co-chairman of the Party of People’s Freedom, Vladimir Milov, about forthcoming parliamentary elections in Russia, the possible return of Putin as president in 2012, the North Caucasus and the role of the European Union in supporting opposition parties.

The outcome of Sunday's elections might be a foregone conclusion, but Europe should still pay close attention. There might be no change in government, but the vote will affect how an increasingly influential Turkey deals with its neighbourhood, and with the EU.

The atmosphere between the EU and Russia has improved remarkably over the last couple of years; but - ahead of this week's summit with Russia - the EU is struggling to turn good atmospherics into tangible progress in areas that really matter.

Dimitar Bechev reflects on the Sofia Platform, a major conference hosted by ECFR and the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week, which brought Europe and the Middle East together to discuss the Arab Spring, with fascinating consequences.

The Russian presidential elections are less than a year away it is by no means clear who will be the Kremlin's candidate. We should not be surprised by tensions at the top in Moscow; Putin is not as powerful as the image the West – and many Russians – have bought into.

The European Union’s introspection in world affairs, and its shrinking ability to influence the outside world, does not mean that the outside world will leave it alone. Rising powers might soon be racing to invest in Europe, and shape its politics to suit their needs.

'More for more', a central plank of the EU's updated neighbourhood policy, is a laudable concept. But it is difficult to define, let alone to implement. What really is more, and how do we get it from our neighbours?

European countries are playing a central role in the Libyan intervention, and the EU is looking to help the transitions in Tunisia and Egypt. But before Mohammed Bouazizi set himself on fire, setting off the sequence of protests, how well did Europe perform when dealing with its southern neighbourhood last year?

Agreement over Europe's performance is not the aim of ECFR's European Foreign Policy Scorecard. The aim is to encourage serious debate about the goals, tools, resources, difficult trade offs and moral dilemmas of Europe's foreign policy - even if that means that readers strongly disagree with our conclusions.

As Sergei Lavrov visits London, Britain needs to rethink its approach to Russia if it is to benefit from strong economic ties with Moscow. This need not mean that it has to compromise on its tough stance on human rights issues, provided it tries to push for a more united EU voice on Russia.

Albania is teetering on the brink of catastrophe, fuelled by the rivalry between prime minister and opposition leader. The EU must make clear to them that it will not tolerate the use of violence, or the destruction of Albania's institutions.

The announcement of cuts to BBC World Service language sections in the wider european neighbourhood is very bad news for strong, independent journalism in the region. But the development of new media technologies mean good journalism should no longer have to rely upon organisations like the BBC.

The establishment of an effective foreign policy with Turkey would get the EEAS off to a flying start, but progress on Turkey's negotiations for EU membership has slowed to a crawl and the political atmosphere is souring. To improve it, the EU and Turkey should establish a strategic dialogue.

It is too simplistic to say that the regime in Belarus has turned its back on the EU: it cannot afford to. Europe must react to the post-election crackdown, but new blanket sanctions would only reduce its leverage. Instead, Europe must learn to empower those in Minsk who favour close links with the West.

During the 1990s, democracy and reformism in Central and Eastern Europe tended to go hand in hand. In recent years, however, the picture in the EU's Eastern neighbourhood has become less clear. Ukraine and Georgia have shown how it is possible to have one without the other.