EU Proposes to Belarus to Review Their “Repressive Policy” :: Charter'97 :: News

The European Parliament deems it necessary to work out a cooperation strategy between Belarus and the European Union in connection with the forthcoming EU enlargement in 2004. This is mentioned in the report of an MEP Pedro Marset Campos “EU and Belarus: future partnership”. The report will be a matter of debates at the EP plenary, which opened on February 10 in Strasbourg.

The document reads that the resumption of dialogue between EU and Belarus “meets the interests of both sides as far as the guarantees of stability and safety in this European region are concerned, which is especially vital in connection with the looming EU enlargement”. And, so, states the document, it is needed to work out a cooperation strategy with Belarus within the framework of the program “Enlarging Europe”. The strategy has to be based on the positive outcomes of the TASIS program in Belarus and pursue the following basic goals: supporting the development of civil society, mass media, democratically-oriented European education, stable small and medium economy sector. In order to thwart illegal migration problems they have to develop a program of assisting the EU eastern neighbors, Belarus included.

At the same time EU confirms its intentions not to ratify any treaties on cooperation before Belarus steps up certain democratization measures. The EU rings alarm bells over the “growing self-isolation of Belarus as a result of authoritarian and anti-democratic policy, implemented by Alexander Lukashenko, as well as the stagnation of economic and political reforms”. EU urges Belarusian authorities to review their repressive policy in human rights and freedoms area, restore the rule of law, endow the parliament with real authority and cancel capital punishment.