Without democratic reforms Belarus won’t become part of Eastern Partnership

The European Union notes: the country must have no political prisoners; the authorities are to respect freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

On December 3 the European Commission is to offer are special package on the Eastern Partnership project. Yesterday in Warsaw EU Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner for the first time presented details of the package, Radio Svaboda informs.

As said by Mrs Ferrero-Waldner, the key elements on which the Eastern Partnership is to be based, are:

- Strong political ties through special partners agreements, primarily with Ukraine, and gradually with other countries.

- Access to markets and free trade, and in the future, after joining the World Trade Organisation, deepened zone of free trade with the aim to build neighbours’ economic community.

- Visa allowances, and in a long-term perspective, visa-free travel.

- Common security of energy supply.

Borders of multilateral cooperation are to be defined during the summit of the EU member countries and countries which are included into the Eastern partnership policy, which is to be held next spring.

“On our part, we would like to make a proposal which is maximally good, and which would be advantageous to the countries for which it is intended,” Benita Ferrero-Waldner underlined.

Speaking about how real chances of Belarus to join the European Neighbourhood Policy are, Mrs Ferrero-Waldner said:

“If we would see that they [Belarusian authorities] are going forward, that there are no political prisoners in Belarus, the procedure of registration for NGO and independent mass media would be simplified, then we would have to say: good, we invite you to join the European Neighbourhood Policy,” the European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy said.

Despite of the fact that on December 3 the European Commission was to give the Eastern Partnership an official status and make offers on forming this policy, Belarus is included to it on a conditional preliminary basis. The formula of the Eastern Partnership looks like 27+5 (6): the EU countries and 5 post-Soviet states: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Belarus still remains in brackets.

Whatever was a topic of conversation started by representatives of Brussels and EU countries with the Belarusian authorities, it runs into progress of democratization till the middle of April, by the term, visa bans on Belarusian officials are suspended.