Verbatim report of proceedings

Wednesday, 10 November 2021 - Brussels

The escalating humanitarian crisis on the EU-Belarusian border, in particular in Poland (debate)

  Katalin Cseh (Renew). – Mr President, the Lukashenko regime is a shame to Europe. On the EU’s doorstep, civilians are brutally tortured and terrorised. Courageous democrats like Maria Kolesnikova, Siarhei Tsikhanouski and so many others are serving decades-long prison sentences. And what we see right now on the EU-Belarus border makes it crystal clear that terror and aggression never stays within a country’s borders.

Lukashenko’s terror against the Belarusians is morphing into a hybrid war against the EU. First, he hijacked a civilian aircraft, and what we see now is state-sponsored human trafficking, weaponised migration – a truly despicable exploitation of human suffering. We need urgent sanctions. We need a common EU response, a forceful Frontex engagement in Poland. This is not the time to bicker about EU competences. Let’s not delude ourselves, nothing in Minsk happens without the approval of Moscow, and the EU’s far right cosying up to Putin is a threat to our security, so are the Trojan horses, like Viktor Orbán, who are vetoing common positions.

Let’s stand up for democracy in Belarus, because a democratic Belarus is the long-term guarantee of the EU’s safety.