Ausführliche Sitzungsberichte

Dienstag, 20. Oktober 2020 - Brüssel

13. Empfehlung an den Rat, die Kommission und den Vizepräsidenten der Kommission/Hohen Vertreter der Union für Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik zu den Beziehungen mit Belarus (Aussprache)

  Die Präsidentin. – Als nächster Punkt der Tagesordnung folgt die Aussprache über den Bericht von Petras Auštrevičius im Namen des Ausschusses für auswärtige Angelegenheiten über eine Empfehlung des Europäischen Parlaments an den Rat, die Kommission und den Vizepräsidenten der Kommission/Hohen Vertreter der Union für Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik zu den Beziehungen mit Belarus (2020/2081(INI)) (A9-0167/2020).

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  Petras Auštrevičius, rapporteur. – Madam President, today is the 73rd day of peaceful protests in Belarus. Belarusian people are bravely facing unlawful arrests, humiliation, assaults, injuries or worse caused by the security forces that should be protecting them. Over 14 000 Belarusians were detained, more than 350 criminal cases initiated and the list of political prisoners is nearing up to 100. All of these brutalities is because of one person – Alexander Lukashenko – who puts his own interests over the future of the Belarusian people and the independence of Belarus.

The Belarusian people are fighting for their freedom and dignity, for their right to free and fair election and their right to have a say in the matters determining the future of their country. They seek to break free from Lukashenko’s 26 years-long dictatorship. Their brave and inspiring actions require three simple actions from our side: solidarity, support and sanctions. Together with colleagues, we have made sure that this recommendation report to the Council and Commission and the High Representative would guide the European Union’s policy towards Belarus accordingly.

We listened and heard Belarusian people, who are not like their former President, are forward looking. They want to live in a free, democratic and prosperous country. The main demand of the Belarusian people is to halt violence against peaceful protests, to organise new, free and fair elections and release all detained protesters and political prisoners. Our answer must be loud and clear. All violence must stop, everyone detained for political reasons must be immediately released and those responsible have to be brought to justice. The new election has to be held as soon as possible and in compliance with international standards and supervision of the OSCE. The Coordination Council initiated by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, President-elect according to the Belarusian people, should be recognised as the legitimate representative of the Belarusian people and supported in its efforts to start a dialogue with the regime, for the sake of peaceful and democratic transition of power.

The EU-imposed sanctions against the main culprits must be extended. The sanctions list has to include Alexander Lukashenko and go beyond his closest environment. Our support, including the financial one, should go directly to the Belarusian people. The EU must also think about a comprehensive programme for Belarus to invigorate its economy after the new presidential elections are held. The EU-Eastern Partnership programme has all tools and expertise to help Belarus to modernise and diversify its economy and fight corruption, among other things.

In addition to applying pressure to the Belarusian regime over human rights violations, the European Union has to be alert regarding the launch of the unsafe Astravets Nuclear Power Plant this November. Nuclear dictatorship of Lukashenko presents a major threat to the security of Europeans.

People on the streets of Belarus have spoken. Now it’s time for us to show our understanding, support and action.

  Josep Borrell Fontelles, Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. – Madam President, I would like to thank Mr Auštrevičius for his report, and also all the other Members of this Parliament who have contributed to it. It’s clear that Parliament has demonstrated overwhelming support for the rights of the Belarusian people and have brought support to the actions taken by the European Union institutions at all levels so far.

I took note of Parliament’s September resolution on Belarus and your recommendations today are more than welcome as a further substantive contribution to our work. I agree with you; unfortunately, the situation on the ground in Belarus has not improved. There has been and continues to be a brutal crackdown against citizens, journalists, and against members of the Coordination Council itself. The Interior Minister recently authorised the use of lethal force – lethal force! – and the increasing levels of violence against protesters are extremely worrying. They are sending extremely worrying signs, but also signs of the desperation on the side of the authorities, aware as they are of the unwavering commitment of Belarusians to a democratic future for their country.

This House knows very well that the European Union has firmly rejected the falsified results of the 9 August presidential elections. We did that at the Foreign Affairs Council. They did that at the European Union Council and the Commission had also joined its voice to this choir. Now we have clearly said that Alexander Lukashenko lacks any democratic legitimacy. We say about him the worst thing that one can say about someone who wants to govern a country: ‘you lack democratic legitimacy for doing so, we don’t recognise you as the legitimate President of Belarus’. I want to stress that and repeat it again, solemnly, at this sitting of European democracy.

We have now adopted sanctions against 40 Belarusian officials responsible for violence, repression and election falsification. We did that a couple of weeks ago, but since the situation in Minsk continues to deteriorate and there seem to be limited prospects for a dialogue – I’m saying ‘limited’ rather than saying ‘not at all’ – the Council gave its political green light to start the preparation of the next sanctions package. At that time, it will include also Alexander Lukashenko himself. The technical work started immediately after the Council and it will be finished soon. No Member State put any kind of obstacle forward to that.

The comprehensive Council conclusions we adopted on 12 October 2020 sent a clear message that the conduct of these elections has had an adverse effect on European Union-Belarus relations and we have also stated that ‘business as usual’ is no longer possible. So our relations with Belarus are in the course of being re-examined.

At the same time, and in line with your recommendation, we have reiterated that the European Union stands in solidarity and will step up support to civil society. I also had the opportunity of conveying this message in a phone call I had with the Foreign Affairs Minister of Belarus.

We have also emphasised that the European Union stands ready to support a meaningful democratic transition in Belarus and we are working on a comprehensive economic support package that the European Union institutions would be ready to offer to a new democratic Belarus.

The European Union remains united in its assessment of the situation and the actions that have to be taken, as I made clear once again when I spoke to Foreign Minister Makei on 9 October, 10 days ago.

All Member States continue to call on the Belarusian authorities to end violence and repression, release all detainees and political prisoners, and respect media freedom. The attempts by the Belarusian authorities to target certain EU Member States by asking them to reduce their diplomatic representation in Minsk will not weaken our unity.

I share the views of Members of this House, as clearly expressed in the recommendation, that only an inclusive national dialogue with the broader society, in particular with the Coordination Council, can lead to a peaceful and sustainable solution of the crisis. We continue to support the proposal for an OSCE mission to facilitate this dialogue and we are promoting such an approach with all international actors, but I have to say that, to my regret, the Belarusian authorities have not responded at all. In French you would say ils sont aux abonnés absents, no answer.

The people’s patience is running out, as we have seen from the call by Ms Tsikhanouskaya for certain actions to be taken by 25 October. We admire the perseverance and the determination of the peaceful demonstrators facing threats, intimidation and violence, and call on them to remain peaceful and not to fall into provocations. I know this would be difficult but I think this is the best thing they can do.

In this difficult period for the Belarusian people we continue our full support for their democratic right to elect their president through new, free and fair elections under OSCE observation. I have to thank all of you again for your detailed recommendation on Belarus. It’s an important contribution and an important support for our work.

  Andrius Kubilius, on behalf of the PPE Group. – Madam President, first of all, I would like to say that the EPP fully supports this report on a European Parliament recommendation prepared by Petras Auštrevičius, because we fully support the Belarusian people in their democratic revolution, under the leadership of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and the Coordination Council.

As we know, the people of Belarus have, for 10 weeks in a row, been continuing their protests. The European Parliament, along with all other EU institutions, has until now shown clear and very dynamic political leadership in support of the Belarusian people. Indeed, Parliament President David Sassoli was the first to invite Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to visit Brussels. This was a very important visit, which was followed by other high-level meetings.

Today, we need to ask ourselves: what else can we do, in practical terms, as Parliament, as Members of this House? I have three brief ideas.

First, without further delay, by decision of the leadership of Parliament, let’s create a high-level Belarusian mission of former presidents and prime ministers, as was done with the Kwaśniewski-Cox mission to Ukraine. In this way, we can consolidate our position within the EU and increase pressure not only on Lukashenko, but also on Putin.

Second, let’s join our efforts with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s headquarters and let’s assist them in establishing information centres here in Brussels, and maybe later on in other capitals.

Third, together with proper pro-democracy foundations, let’s establish a special centre for the international investigation of OMON crimes, with a mandate to collect evidence and assist with legal expertise at the start of individual criminal cases.

Those are just a few ideas of what we can do. We, and the whole EU, can do much more! Let’s continue to stand together with the people of Belarus, and Zhiv’e Bielarus!

  Tonino Picula, on behalf of the S&D Group. – Madam President, arrests of presidential candidates and peaceful protesters, and the violent crackdown on the Opposition and civil society is a picture of Belarus today. We condemn it in the strongest possible terms. We cannot tire of repeating that the violence and repression against the people of Belarus must stop and new elections must be held. Cooperation with the Belarusian authorities is no longer possible as long as the regime continues the brutal repression against the people and does not release all recent detainees and political prisoners.

This is why the European Union must move from critical engagement to critical reassessment. To start with, European Union financial assistance must solely benefit civil society. We in the S&D Group also want to support the victims of repression, offer help to deal with the socio-economic consequences of the Covid—19 pandemic, and also continue to engage with the people, no matter what their walk of life. We fully support the extended list of sanctions that now includes Lukashenko too. A business as usual approach has not worked in this case for a long time now.

To conclude, we call on the European Union to reflect upon its approach to the Eastern Partnership countries that violate the joint commitments on democracy, the rule of law, fundamental freedoms and human rights. The European Union must take responsibility for the promise of security and prosperity in the common neighbourhood.

  Thierry Mariani, au nom du groupe ID. – Madame la Présidente, l’Union européenne a fait pression sur Chypre pour que Nicosie accepte de participer à la mise en place des sanctions contre Minsk mais n’a brandi aucune menace contre la Turquie d’Erdoğan.

Une diplomatie forte avec les faibles et faible avec les forts est une diplomatie impuissante: c’est ce que nous sommes. Je n’ai pas varié en ce qui concerne le Bélarus: il faut le calme à Minsk, favoriser le dialogue entre les différentes parties et le retour au calme.

Je voudrais quand même m’attarder sur un élément étonnant du rapport: l’Union européenne prétend connaître les résultats du scrutin présidentiel grâce à une enquête sociologique réalisée sur une plateforme internet. Ces méthodes me semblent extrêmement dangereuses pour la démocratie. Si l’Union européenne se fonde désormais sur des enquêtes sociologiques et des affirmations aussi vides de sens pour reconnaître des scrutins, qu’en sera-t-il demain des scrutins? Qui nous dit que, demain, on n’appliquerait pas ce principe pour les élections en Pologne?

Nous avons reconnu, au Venezuela, l’élection de Juan Guaidó; depuis, nous sommes dans une impasse. Monsieur Borrell, ne sommes-nous pas en train de faire la même chose? À vouloir reconnaître absolument l’élection de l’opposante, ne sommes-nous pas dans une impasse et ne nous excluons-nous pas des prochaines discussions?

  Viola Von Cramon-Taubadel, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, two months ago Lukashenko stole the elections and here we spend again for the fourth time debating what to do. While we debate, those who dare to speak up against injustice and violence are kidnapped, detained, imprisoned, beaten, tortured and raped. While we debate, athletes, scientists, journalists, doctors are purged, IT specialists expelled from the country, factory workers deprived of their income, parents and kids threatened and blackmailed. While we debate, Putin’s Russia has encroached Belarus’ sovereignty and the dictator in Minsk is ready to sell his country to save himself.

Enough with debates, let’s take actions. First, the sanctions list has to be updated and extended by everyone who executes Lukashenko’s orders. We should also include those in the list who spread misinformation and propaganda from Russia. Second, those athletes, scientists, students, doctors, IT specialists, should immediately be given Schengen visas and get the opportunity to work here in the European Union. Third, all brutal regimes come to an end and Lukashenko’s dictatorship is no exception. We should be prepared for peaceful transfer of power and already now pledge financial assistance to a post—Lukashenko democratic government. This will send a signal to the people of Belarus that the EU stands with them. In this process, Parliament here should take the lead.

Lastly, the source of Lukashenko’s power is President Putin. The dictator can only afford to oppress his own people because he remains useful to the Kremlin. You cannot expect Putin to change; he will not become a reliable partner of the European Union. Instead, we should take decisive measures and send a clear sign that oppressing, annexing, occupying, poisoning, will not be tolerated by the European Union.

  Anna Fotyga, on behalf of the ECR Group. – Madam President, over 70 days of resolute protests of Belarusian people against the usurper president who uses all the power of the country against civilians. I commend Petras Auštrevičius on his excellent report. It was a privilege to work on this file. His three asks are extremely important: solidarity, support and sanctions. Sanctions should be extended. And in terms of support we have to think not only about a future, democratic, better Belarusian state, but currently about the overwhelming support to Belarusian people, not avoiding any governmental channels.

  Idoia Villanueva Ruiz, en nombre del Grupo GUE/NGL. – Señora presidenta, desde agosto Bielorrusia vive una movilización social masiva contra unos resultados electorales que muchos consideran fraudulentos. Hemos vivido una espiral de detenciones de manifestantes, peticiones de dimisión de Lukashenko y un aumento de las tensiones en las fronteras de la Unión Europea.

Nosotras siempre defenderemos el derecho de cualquier persona, en cualquier lugar, a la protesta contra los abusos, siempre ligado a la exigencia de que cada pueblo es soberano para determinar su destino sin injerencias externas. Por esta razón no toleramos ni subordinar los derechos humanos ni la democracia a intereses geopolíticos ni invocarlos selectivamente para un país sí y para otro no.

En esta semana celebramos precisamente el triunfo del pueblo boliviano, pese a un golpe de Estado de más de un año y múltiples impedimentos. Y miramos con esperanza el plebiscito de Chile, conseguido precisamente por las movilizaciones populares.

Necesitamos en Bielorrusia, como en otros países en conflicto, más que nunca, diálogo y diplomacia, evitar una escalada mayor, exigiendo parar las detenciones inmediatas, pero también injerencias interesadas.

  Andrzej Halicki (PPE). – Pani Przewodnicząca! Naród białoruski czeka na silny głos europejski, na silny głos europejskiego wsparcia i solidarności, protestując na ulicach miast, protestując od ponad 10 tygodni. To setki tysięcy ludzi. Ta determinacja nie ustaje. Żądają wolności i demokracji. Są tak zjednoczeni jak nigdy, tak jak my zjednoczeni na tej sali, wyrażając solidarność. Nie uznajemy sfałszowanych wyborów. Żądamy wypuszczenia więźniów politycznych, tworzymy listę sankcji, ale to stanowczo za mało.

Musimy działać aktywniej, musimy działać szybciej. I rzeczywiście mamy do tego narzędzia. Białorusini czekają na tę naszą aktywność, czekają na wsparcie i pomoc. I to nie jest tylko lista sankcji, na której powinien się znaleźć nie tylko Alaksandr Łukaszenka, ale setki oprawców z OMON-u, którzy biją niewinnych ludzi. Mamy także narzędzia, by uruchomić misję dyplomatyczną, misję na wysokim szczeblu, która pomoże rozwiązać ten konflikt w sposób polityczny. Pomoże też Komisji Europejskiej w tym zadaniu, pracując dzień po dniu, współpracując z Komisją Koordynacyjną. Bądźmy bardziej aktywni – powiem jeszcze raz na koniec. Wierzę, że Białorusini swój cel osiągną – będzie wolna i demokratyczna Białoruś. Żywie Biełaruś!

  Kati Piri (S&D). – Madam President, for the tenth weekend in a row, the Belarusian people have gone out into the streets to protest against their illegitimate government, to protest against the violence and repression, and to let their voice for freedom be heard – all this despite threats from the police to fire with live ammunition. To the brave people of Belarus, let me make this very clear: the European Parliament will not rest until your legitimate demands for free and fair elections are fully implemented, political prisoners are freed and justice is served to all those guilty of torture and repression. This illegitimate president must step down today.

High Representative, continued relations with the Belarusian authorities is an imperative ‘NO’ under the present circumstances. Our relations must only be with the Belarusian people. The Council decision to finally implement sanctions against Lukashenko is a much-needed first step and the Belarusian people need us to urgently step up. I call on you to ensure a meaningful international coordination of sanctions, to redirect any EU funding away from the regime and to suspend negotiations over partnership priorities until a legitimate government is in place. Above all, the EU must not turn up empty-handed. We must provide any support necessary for the country’s democratic transition, in line with its citizens’ aspirations.

  Isabel Wiseler-Lima (PPE). – Madame la Présidente, cher Bélarus, nous avions promis de ne pas nous laisser distraire par l’actualité, de rester fidèles, de maintenir notre soutien à votre formidable engagement sans faille ni peur, à votre dévouement pour une transition démocratique qui fait fi des brutalités, arrestations et jusqu’aux tortures. Nous tenons parole. Vous voilà de nouveau, et aussi longtemps que nécessaire, dans les débats de la séance plénière du Parlement européen.

Des sanctions ont été prises contre les officiels responsables de la répression et de l’intimidation contre les manifestants pacifiques, contre les membres de l’opposition et contre les journalistes. Loukachenko, finalement, se retrouve également sur cette liste – il aurait d’ailleurs dû y être depuis le début –, liste qui doit encore être allongée.

Monsieur le Haut-représentant, l’impunité doit être combattue. Il faut faire plus pour la combattre et je veux, dans ce contexte, saluer la décision de créer un Magnitsky Act européen. Il nous faut donc, en Biélorussie, une mission d’enquête indépendante sur la répression brutale qui a eu lieu. Les faits ne doivent pas tomber dans l’oubli ni passer inaperçus, nous le devons aux victimes. Il faut également une coordination des efforts internationaux: les Nations Unies ont un rapporteur spécial pour le Bélarus, le Conseil de l’Europe se montre disposé à jouer un rôle, l’Union européenne peut et doit jouer un rôle moteur dans ce contexte. Par ailleurs, nous devons accroître notre aide à la société civile, aux victimes: une assistance médicale, psychologique et légale leur est nécessaire.

Enfin, je veux souligner que la nomination de l’opposition bélarusse, dont Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa, pour le prix Sakharov est un signe fort de soutien du Parlement européen.

  Miriam Lexmann (PPE). – Madam President, I welcome the report drafted by Petras Auštrevičius, and I want to say a special ‘thank you’ to Petras and his team for working closely with all of us across the political groups to draft this very timely report.

The situation in Belarus remains worrying. The regime continues to engage in repressions and the number of political prisoners is growing, while brave Belarusians are defying the regime’s brutality and expressing their desire to live in a free, democratic and sovereign Belarus.

I welcome the fact that the Council has finally adopted targeted sanctions against those responsible for the repressions in Belarus. I also hope for the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime to be adopted as soon as possible so that the EU is better equipped to stand up to those who suppress people’s rights and liberties not just in Belarus, but globally.

Finally, let me also state strongly that the European Commission must ensure that no financial assistance is given to the Lukashenko regime, and that the adopted EUR 50 million and future finances must instead be used to support the people of Belarus.

The European Union must stand with the people of Belarus, and support their aspirations to live in a free, democratic, prosperous and sovereign Belarus.

Zhiv’e Bielarus!

  Josep Borrell Fontelles, Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. – Madam President, thank you to all Members of the European Parliament for their observations and propositions. The only thing I can say is that you can be sure that we will continue our support to the Belarusian people, to civil society and the independent media, by all the means that we have – financially and politically, through international cooperation and coordination, as some Members have said, trying to support the media, trying to isolate the Lukashenko government, providing financial support to the people of Belarus, avoiding that these resources go through the hands of the government – because we are strongly convinced, as all of you have said, that the Belarusian people deserve better and their demand for new, free and fair elections should be answered positively.

The only way out of this situation is to hold free and fair elections. It means repeating the elections and the support of this Parliament would be vital for this effort. We have been witnessing on the streets of Belarus, in Minsk and other cities, unprecedented levels of repression for the last two months. We do not recognise the result of these elections but unhappily the Belarusian authorities have not accepted any kind of international offer of mediation. We would be very happy to send an observation mission to Belarus but for that we need to have the agreement of the government and for the time being, believe me, all of our efforts have been completely useless.

I am not negotiating or in touch with the Belarusian authorities. I have just made a couple of phone calls trying to express our concern and asking what would be the prospects for the Belarusian Government to accept an OSCE mission. The answer – keep in mind that the next president of the OSCE in office about activities of this kind will be my colleague the Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs – but unhappily, the answer was completely a negative one.

Finally, let me also stress that we are not going to do that as a geopolitical issue, as some Members were worried about. No, it’s not a matter of the Belarusian people having to choose between one side or another. It’s a matter of the Belarusian people being able to have a political regime that ensures their human rights and to behave and to live in a democratic system that respects their political will. This is what it is all about and I once again thank the rapporteur and the people who have been helping him with this work.

I know there are issues that Mr Auštrevičius mentioned on nuclear safety cooperation. I would like to answer precisely this specific question and inform you that in the Council conclusions of 12 October we already stressed the importance of this issue and we urged Belarus to comply with the standards and environmental safety of the European Union and to follow the European Union recommendations in this field without delay. In this regard, technical cooperation among the European Union Member States and Belarusian nuclear safety regulators remains of utmost importance for implementing, reviewing and monitoring an ordered implementation of our standards.

  Petras Auštrevičius, rapporteur. – Madam President, I would really like to thank everyone, particularly the shadow rapporteurs, who have been so actively and effectively engaged in the preparations of this recommendation report, which has also been heard by other European institutions and which I truly believe will be implemented. Thank you very much for today’s constructive exchange as well.

I’m very happy to see the increased interest in and support for pro-democratic events in Belarus taking root among our colleagues. We have all been inspired by the bravery of the Belarusian people.

Belarus is our immediate neighbour. Its people share European values and aspire to the same freedoms and rights as EU citizens. The European Union cannot be a passive observer. For many years, we have been supporting human rights defenders and democratic civil society in Belarus. Now that they have emerged from the sidelines, with tens of thousands of Belarusian people marching through the streets calling for democratic change, they should feel the solidarity and support of the EU and its citizens.

As previously mentioned, the European Union’s policy towards Belarus should be led by the following three acts: solidarity, support and sanctions. The European Union should take active measures to prevent hybrid or direct Russian intervention in Belarus. I call upon the current German Presidency of the Council to lead the diplomatic efforts to prevent any interference and to support the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people.

Tens of thousands of Belarusians have reminded us of our very important unfinished business: a democratic and united Europe where Belarus will have its place in time.

Long live European Belarus.

  Die Präsidentin. – Danke für diese Debatte, und ich glaube, ich kann sagen, ein Danke auch an die Verwaltung in Brüssel und in den Verbindungsbüros des Europäischen Parlaments. Es hat hervorragend funktioniert, auch technisch. Da das möglich ist, sind wir vielleicht das fortschrittlichste Parlament der Welt, würde ich sagen, und wir kommen echt gut mit den schwierigen Bedingungen der Corona-Pandemie klar.

Die Aussprache ist geschlossen.

Die Abstimmung über die Änderungsanträge findet heute und die Schlussabstimmung morgen, Mittwoch, 21. Oktober 2020, statt.

Schriftliche Erklärungen (Artikel 171)

  Dace Melbārde (ECR), in writing. – We have seen a systemic crackdown on media following the Belarusian presidential elections. Journalists are being detained and fined, acts of physical violence are clearly targeting media representatives (including incidents involving gunfire). In addition, non—state newspapers had been denied rights to print and websites had been blocked by the Belarusian Ministry of Information. At the same time, international journalists have been stripped of their media accreditation.

In contrast to the ongoing oppression of independent media, Russia’s ‘assistance’ is welcomed. Russia is providing its so-called ‘media experts’ to replace Belarusian journalists and is using financial funds to buy and take over the media outlets and widely used information channels on Telegram. This could lead to a situation where only information channels controlled by Russia will be available both to the people of Belarus and also to international society.

Despite physical and financial threats, independent Belarusian journalists continue to cover the brutal oppression of peaceful protests. I believe that in the current geopolitical situation, it is the EU that should be more vocal in condemning the crackdown on media freedom in Belarus. In order to support the free press, the EU should increase the financing available from the European Endowment for Democracy and through other instruments.

  Urmas Paet (Renew), kirjalikult. – Aleksander Lukašenka režiimi tegevus on kuritegelik ja vastuolus Euroopa väärtuste, demokraatia põhimõtete ja Valgevene rahva tahtega. ELi ja Valgevene suhted tuleb põhjalikult läbi vaadata, sest režiim ei täida rahvusvahelisest õigusest tulenevaid kohustusi ega ELiga sõlmitud kokkuleppeid. Valgevenes toimuva taustal pean oluliseks, et Euroopa Komisjon peataks Valgevene riigile rahalise abi eraldamise kavandatud summas 53 miljonit eurot. Valgevene režiimi kätte ei tohi ELi raha enam sattuda. Rahaeraldused saab taastada, kui Valgevenes on läbi viidud uued vabad valimised. Loomulikult peab Euroopa Liit toetama Valgevene rahvast igakülgselt ja näitama üles solidaarsust nendega, kes soovivad Valgevenele demokraatlikku tulevikku. Samas tuleb ELil teha otsus, et rahaline toetus ei satuks Lukašenko ja tema režiimi kätte. Meil oleks võimalik seda toetust jagada Euroopa valitsusväliste organisatsioonide ja fondide, näiteks Euroopa demokraatia sihtkapitali ja idapartnerluse kodanikuühiskonna foorumi kaudu. Loodetavasti tagab Euroopa Komisjon, et Valgevene võimude kätte ELi toetusraha ei satu.