EU wants to pursue active policy toward Belarus

The European Union wants to pursue an active policy toward Belarus that would contain clear goals and a positive program for the country’s citizens, Stefan Fule, the EU commissioner for enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy, said in an interview with the Belarusian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

He said that the 27-nation bloc’s policy toward Belarus was based on targeted sanctions, assistance to civil society and opposition groups, and what is called the European Dialogue on Modernization. The EU will adhere to the policy and make sure that no compromises are made at the expense of Belarusians and democracy in the country, he stressed, expressing hope that the policy would make democratic changes in Belarus possible. 

According to Mr. Fule, the EU has an as much united stance on Belarus as never before and no longer wants to be one step behind Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s policy in mutual relations the way it was between 2008 and 2010. 

The commissioner expressed hope that the Belarusian authorities would release all political prisoners and fully restore their rights but warned that the EU was not interested in bargaining with Minsk over the matter. While welcoming the recent release of former presidential candidate Andrey Sannikaw and his campaign aide Dzmitry Bandarenka, the EU has made it clear that it will be ready to reengage with the Belarusian authorities only after the remaining political prisoners are released, Mr. Fule stressed. 

Contacts between the EU and Minsk have been reduced to a minimum and the bloc is pursuing a policy of critical engagement with the country’s authorities, the commissioner said. 

He defended the EU targeted sanctions against some Belarusian individuals, noting that the bloc was left with no other choice, and said that the European Union’s assistance to Belarusian civil society was not limited to funding but also involved educational programs and scholarships, support for exiled European Humanities University, and regular contacts. The EU wants civil society to inform the Belarusian public that there is a pro-European alternative to Mr. Lukashenka’s policy and Belarus can strengthen relations with the EU, Mr. Fule said. 

The Belarusian authorities are reluctant to enter into talks with the European Union over easier Schengen visa rules for Belarusian citizens, Stefan Fule, the 27-nation bloc’s commissioner for enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy, said in an interview with the Belarusian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

According to the commissioner, the EU has not received a reply to its proposal to start the talks, which was made to the Belarusian authorities a year ago. 

Therefore, he concluded, it is Minsk, not Brussels that it is to blame for the fact that Belarusians pay for Schengen visas almost twice as much as Russian nationals do. 

Mr. Fule suggested that the Belarusian government’s unwillingness to negotiate the matter was due to Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s discontent with the EU’s policy toward his regime. 

The EU may not unilaterally abolish Schengen visa fees for Belarusian citizens, the commissioner said, referring to the bloc’s joint visa policy. At the same time, Mr. Fule said that he and fellow EU commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom had provided explanations to the EU countries’ foreign and interior ministers two months ago about what they could do to simplify Schengen visa formalities for Belarusian citizens. 

Mr. Fule also attacked the Belarusian authorities for barring political opponents from traveling abroad.