Germany wants Russia to join EU

Germany, which takes over presidency of the European Union in January, is planning measures to entice Russia to join the EU.

Germany is said to be considering a revamp of the bloc's policy toward the East, and looking at ways Russia can be irreversibly bound to the organization, the EU Observer reported.

The goal must be to make the political, economic and cultural ties between the EU and Russia -- its anchor in a wider Europe -- irreversible, says a foreign ministry paper seen by the German daily Handelsblatt.

The ministry refers to the advantage of having a Finnish presidency followed by a German presidency, as both countries support stronger ties to Russia, The Observer reported.

A complete European peace regime and the resolution of important security and political problems from the Balkans to the Middle East can only be attained with Russia and not without it, the paper says.