Dictatorial Belarus will get no money from EU

The European Union makes aid to the neighbouring counties conditional on democratic reforms.

According to the principles of the adjusted European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), the amount of support by the EU is to depend on democratic reforms implemented in the neighbouring countries.

It has been stated by Štefan Füle, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy when presenting the European Neighbourhood Policy Review to the European Parliament.

As said by him, the EU has decided to increase the volume of support to its neighbours, but the increased EU support is conditional. There are concrete benchmarks against which the EU will assess progress in different countries including Belarus. The key ones are: “genuinely free and fair elections; freedom of assembly and of expression, including a free press and media; independent judiciary and the right to a fair trial; fight against corruption and democratic control over security and armed forces.”

“The level of aid will be adapted according to progress made in meeting these benchmarks,” Füle said.

“If a partner country wishes to obtain greater support from the EU, to obtain closer political support from the EU, to participate in the EU internal market, to ensure greater mobility for its citizens, then it will have to demonstrate clear commitments to a number of significant political reforms,” the Commissioner stated.

As said by him, “great challenges remain before us to our East, including Belarus, where we must help the people bring democracy to their country.”

The Commissioner assures that the EU will assume serious obligations as well. “If we fail to deliver what our partners have requested, such as market access or mobility partnerships, we will also be held to account,” he stressed.