EuroNest
Parliamentary Assembly

Working Group on Belarus

Photo of the podium during a meeting of the Working gorup on Belarus. Brussels
© European Union (2018) - European Parliament

Working Group on Belarus

The Working Group on Belarus was created in 2011 in order to study and make proposals on the ways in which the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly could contribute to Belarus's fulfilment of membership criteria as described in Article 3 of the Constituent Act*, in order for the Assembly to be able to welcome a Belarusian Delegation in due course.

For this purpose, the working group may make contact with
  • the Institutions of Belarus,
  • the country's civil society,
  • other EU Institutions,
  • EU Member States, and
  • other concerned players.
The Working Group was permitted to hold hearings and organise visits to the country, in agreement with the Bureau.

Euronest PA Rules of Procedure Art. 27.1:"...The working groups created shall continue functioning until the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly decides otherwise."

* * * * *
* Article 3 of Euronest's Constitutive Act specifies:

To take part in the work of the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly, a Parliament shall:
  • be part of the constitutional system of one of the countries participating in the Eastern Partnership;
  • have been elected according to OSCE commitments, and other international standards for democratic elections;
  • commit itself to protecting and promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms, pluralistic democracy and the rule of law.

  • The Working Group on Belarus is composed of 10 Members:

    • 5 from the delegations of the Eastern Partner countries;
    • 5 from the European Parliament.

    As of April 2024, the Working Group included the following Members:

    Co-Chairs:

    • Mr Tomasz FRANKOWSKI (Poland, EPP), representing the European Parliament
    • Ms Marina MOROZOVA (Moldova)

    Additional Members from the European Parliament:

    • Mr Juozas OLEKAS (Lithuania, S&D)
    • Mr Bronis ROPÉ (Lithuania, Greens/EFA)
    • Mr Petras AUSTREVICIUS (Lithuania, Renew)
    • ..................................... (.............., ID)

    Additional Members from the Partner countries:

    • Mr Mikheil SARJVELADZE (Georgia)
    • Mr Sargis KHANDANYAN (Armenia)
    • Mr Novruzali ASLANOV (Azerbaijan)
    • Mr Volodymyr ARIEV (Ukraine)

Decisions

Meetings

  • Agenda

    1. Adoption of the draft agenda

    2. Co-Chairs' announcements

    3. Exchange of views with representatives of the Belarusian democratic opposition
    on the political situation in Belarus

    4. Any other business

    5. Date and place of the next meeting

  • Agenda

    1. Adoption of the draft agenda

    2. Co-Chairs' announcements

    3. Exchange of views with representatives of the Belarusian democratic forces
    on the political situation in Belarus

    4. Any other business

    5. Date and place of the next meeting

  • 16.00-17.30, European Parliament, Brussels (Belgium)

    1. Adoption of the draft agenda

    2. Co-Chairs' announcements

    3. Exchange of views with representatives of the Belarusian democratic forces and adoption of a Working Group's Statement on the political situation in Belarus

    4. Redeployment of EU financial and technical assistance to Belarus Speaker:- Mr Vassilis MARAGOS, Head of Unit for "Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus & Eastern Partnership", European Commission, DG NEAR

    5. Human rights and media freedom situation in Belarus Speakers:- Mr Valiantsin STEFANOVIC, election expert, Vice-President of the Belarusian Human Rights Centre "Viasna" - Ms Volha SIAKHOVICH, Legal Expert, Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ)

    6. Russia's increasing influence over Belarus Speaker: - Mr Pavel BAEV, Research Professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and Associate Research Fellow, Russia/NIS Centre at IFRI

    7. Any other business

    8. Date and place of the next meeting

  • 12:00-13:00, European Parliament, Brussels (Belgium)
    Draft agenda

    1. Adoption of the draft agenda

    2. Co-Chairmen's announcements

    3. Debriefing by Mr Bodgan A. ZDROJEWSKI, Co-Chair of the Euronest PA Working Group on Belarus and Chair of the EP Delegation for relations with Belarus (D-BY),on the ad hoc mission of the Bureau of the D-BY to Minsk of 28-30 October 2018

    4. Exchange of views with representatives of the Belarusian opposition on the current political situation in Belarus

    5. Exchange of views with Mr Richard TIBBELS, Head of Division for "Eastern Partnership - Bilateral relations" at the EEAS and Mr Lawrence MEREDITH, Director for "Neighbourhood East" at the European Commission's DG NEAR, on the state of play of relations between the EU and Belarus and the negotiations on the Partnership Priorities

    6. Exchange of views with Mrs Anaïs MARIN, UN Human Rights Council's Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus (by visio-conference)7.  Any other business8. Date and place of the next meeting

  • 14:00-15:30, European Parliament, Brussels (Belgium)

    Draft agenda

    1. Adoption of the draft agenda
    2. Co-Chairmen's announcements
    3. Exchange of views with Mr Dirk SCHUEBEL, Head of Division for "Eastern Partnership - Bilateral" at the EEAS and Mr Lawrence MEREDITH, Director for "Neighbourhood East" at the European Commission's DG NEAR, on the state of play of relations between the European Union and Belarus
    4. Exchange of views with Mr Alexander KREMER, Country Manager for Belarus at the World Bank, and Mr Luca GATTINI, Regional economist for Eastern Neighbourhood at the European Investment Bank (EIB) on economic perspectives and reforms in Belarus
    5. Exchange of views with representatives of the Belarusian opposition on the current economic situation in Belarus
    6. Any other business
    7. Date and place of the next meeting

  • 10:45-12:45, Verkhovna Rada, Conference Hall, Kyiv (Ukraine)
    Draft Agenda

    • Adoption of the draft agenda
    • Co-Chairmen's announcements
    • Exchange of views on the Zapad 2017 exercise, with:
      - Mr Mykhailo SAMUS, Deputy Director for International Affairs Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies,
    • Exchange of views on EU-Belarus relations in view of the Eastern Partnership Summit, with:
      - H.E. Ms Andrea WIKTORIN, Head of the EU Delegation in Belarus and
      - Mr Lawrence MEREDITH, Director for Neighbourhood East in the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR)
    • Exchange of views on the 2018 local elections in Belarus, with:
      - Mr Vladimir MISEV, OSCE/ODHIR Election Adviser and desk officer for Belarus, independent MPs and opposition representatives
    • Concluding remarks by the Co-Chairmen
    • Date and place of the next meeting
    • Any other business

  • 14:00-16:30, Room PHS 06B054, Brussels (Belgium)
    Draft Agenda

    • Adoption of the draft agenda
    • Exchange of views on the role of civil society in the field of education and, in particular, in the implementation of the Bologna process in Belarus, with the following speakers:
      - Mr Vladimir DOUNAEV, Belarusian Independent Bologna Committee
      - Mr Lawrence MEREDITH, Director for Neighbourhood East, Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), European Commission
      -Mr Adam TYSON, Head of Higher Education Unit at DG Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission
    • Exchange of views on the dialogue with Belarus on migration, including labour mobility, with:
      - Ms Silja KASMANN, International Relations Officer, Desk officer for Belarus, DG Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission.
    • Planning of the working group's work for the second half of 2017
    • Date and place of the next meeting
    • Any other business

  • 10:00-12:30, Room ASP 5E2, Brussels (Belgium)
    Draft Agenda

    • Adoption of the draft agenda
    • Exchange of views on the outcome of the parliamentary elections in Belarus with
      - Ms Tana DE ZULUETA, Head of the OSCE/ODIHR long-term election observation mission in Belarus
      - Mr Kent HÄRSTEDT, Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and Special Coordinator of the OSCE Short-term Observation missions to Belarus in 2016 and 2015
      - Mr Thomas MAYR-HARTING, Managing Director for Russia, Eastern Partnership, Central Asia and the OSCE, European External Action Service
    • Exchange of views with representatives of the opposition from Belarus on the political situation in the country and on the outcome of the legislative elections in Belarus.
    • Planning of the working group's work for the first half of 2017
    • Date and place of the next meeting
    • Any other business

  • The meeting was dedicated to an exchange of views with the European External Action Service and Belarusian opposition movements on the latest political developments in Belarus in the aftermath of the Presidential elections of 11 October 2015 and on bilateral relations between the EU and Belarus.

  • The Working Group had a constructive meeting, allowing a substantial exchange of views on the situation in Belarus, with a special focus on media, in the context of the forthcoming Presidential elections (held on 11 October 2015). Members also addressed the issue of resetting ties between the EU and Belarus, compatibly with the EU criticism towards the current regime's poor records in terms of democracy and fundamental rights and freedoms.

  • The Working Group had a substantial exchange of views with the main Belarusian opposition representatives and a representative of the Belarusian civil society on the political situation in the country and on expectations from the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga regarding Belarus.

  • The meeting had the main purpose to allow newly elected MEPs to introduce themselves to their Eastern Partner fellows, following the European elections of 2014,  to exchange views and positions, to discuss future activities of the Working Group and to out-line a possible path on how the Euronest PA could contribute to the fulfilment, by Belarus, of the criteria to become a member of the Assembly, as described in Article 3 of the Constituent Act of the Euronest PA.

  • The meeting was dedicated to a briefing on the current situation of EU-Belarus relations, as well as the effects of the events in Ukraine on Belarus. Members also covered the issue of elections to local councils of 23 March 2014 and noted the importance of the launch of talks on visa facilitation and readmission agreements.

  • The Working Group had an exchange of views on the access to independent information in Belarus and a discussion on the political situation in Belarus in the presence of representatives of the opposition and the civil society of Belarus. In particular, Members discussed the future of the opposition and its chances to form a united front at next Presidential elections.

  • The meeting allowed in-depth discussions on the situation in Belarus after parliamentary elections of 23 September 2012 and the future work of the Working Group, in the presence of representatives of the opposition and the civil society of Belarus.

  • The sociological study on the composition of the Belarusian society "Belarusian Society in 2012: Challenges for the EU" was presented at the meeting. The discussion was focused mainly on the EU approach towards Belarus (sanctions, new EU dialogue on modernisation with Belarusian society, organisation of the Ice Hockey Championship). Members also discussed the current situation in Belarus with a view to the extension of the mandate of the Working Group on Belarus, in the presence of representatives of the opposition and the civil society of Belarus.

  • At the Meeting, the purpose of the Working Group was stressed - to study and make proposals on which way the Euronest PA might contribute to the fulfilment by Belarus of the membership criteria, in order for the Assembly to be able to welcome the Belarusian Delegation in due course. The meeting also allowed having an exchange of views with opposition representatives from Belarus on the recent evolution of the situation in the country, at almost one-year distance from the December 2010 presidential elections and some 10 months ahead of the next parliamentary elections (held in September 2012).