European Union foreign ministers warned Russia on Monday that a "serious impact" on relations would follow if Moscow failed to sign a new partnership accord before May

European Union foreign ministers warned Russia on Monday that a "serious impact" on relations would follow if Moscow failed to sign a new partnership accord before May, when the EU enlarges deep into former Soviet territory. The ministers told Russia to stop stalling on signing a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement to cover the 10 countries joining the EU. Describing the pact as the "cornerstone" of EU-Russia relations, they warned Moscow in a statement to renew the accord "without precondition or distinction by May 1." Asked what the EU meant by a "serious impact" on relations, one diplomat said: "It's a threat of sanctions." The statement itself was more cautious. It said: "The timely extension of the PCA will allow Russia to benefit from the many advantages accruing to it from EU enlargement, including in the trade field." The EU signed a pact with Russia in December 1997, setting out the political, economic and trade frameworks of their relationship for the next 10 years. But the accord now needs to be adapted for the EU's enlargement to encompass Cyprus, Malta and eight former Soviet satellites: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Russia, for decades the dominant power in eastern Europe, has begrudgingly accepted the enlargement as inevitable. But it is still pressing for its demands to be met, such as visa-free access for Russian citizens to the new EU members, including ethnic Russians left stateless when the three Baltic countries declared their independence in 1991. In particular, Russia fears it will lose millions of dollars by being forced to pay higher trade tariffs on its exports after its former Warsaw Pact partners join the EU. The EU, however, insists that renewal of the pact should be a legal formality and is growing increasingly frustrated with the Russian stance.