"A new agreement regulating relations between Russia and the EU could, I believe, be concluded by the end of the next Russian president's term in office," Vasily Likhachyov, deputy chairman of the upper house's international affairs committee, told a RIA Novosti news conference.
The latest Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between Russia and the EU was signed on June 24, 1994 in Corfu, Greece. The document came into force December 1, 1997 and expired at the end of November 2007.
The document envisions that it will be automatically extended if neither party announces its withdrawal within three months of its expiry. Neither Russia nor the EU have said they intend to quit the PCA.
Negotiations on a new deal have been stalled by Poland, an EU member since 2004, which has vetoed talks over Russia's two-year ban on Polish meat products.
