Is Russia abandoning its pretence at being a democratic State?  How should the West, and the European Union in particular, respond and deal with a more authoritarian Russia that is also a strategic partner?

Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament are hosting a major international conference on this topic in Helsinki on 9th-10th November, symbolically recalling the Helsinki process of the 1970s that led to closer rapprochement between East and West during the Cold War and which gave birth to the CSCE/OSCE.

Our aim is both to stimulate debate about Russia today and to urge global leaders to re-launch a new forum for dialogue on dealing with Russia - Helsinki 2.0.