“European Belarus” for free travelling over Europe!

Organising committee of the campaign “European Belarus” supported an initiative of the members of the European Parliament on collecting votes for reducing Schengen visa fees and relaxing of visa requirements for Belarusians.

“10 million Europeans, citizens of Belarus, have become hostages of isolation policy of the Belarusian governing bodies. Schengen visa costs 60 euro for Belarusians. At the same time Belarus’s neighbours or have joined the Schengen zone either have simple visa requirements.

We are sure that Belarusians, like other Europeans, should have an opportunity to travel over Europe without restrictions,” the statement of the “European Belarus” stressed.

That is why the “European Belarus” welcomes the decision of the members of the European Parliament G. Grabowska (Poland), J. Paleckis (Lithuania) and H. Swoboda (Austria) to start collecting of votes for reducing Schengen visa fees for citizens of our country.

In turn, the “European Belarus” announced a campaign of collecting of votes of Belarusians for Belarus’s joining the EU. “Reducing of visa fees, relaxing of visa requirements are the priority objectives of our civil campaign,” the authors of the statement, initiators of the civil campaign “European Belarus” emphasise, among whom are Andrei Sannikov, international coordinator of Charter’97, former deputy foreign minister of Belarus; Viktar Ivashkevich, deputy head of the Belarusian Popular Front party; Mikhail Marynich, former political prisoner and former minster of foreign economy; Mikola Statkevich, leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party “Narodnaya Hramada.”

“European Belarus” urges the MEPs to support the initiative of their colleagues and join their voices to those who see Belarus a free and democratic European country.

As we have informed, on January 30 three deputies of the European parliament, Genowefa Grabowska (Poland), Justas Paleckis (Lithuania) and Hannes Swoboda (Austria) have started collection of signatures of the European Parliament deputies under a petition for reducing the consular fee for Belarusians for receiving Schengen visa. If more than a half of votes would be collected over four months, the petition would be forwarded for consideration of the European Commission and the EU Council. And it means that next year Belarusians could visit the EU countries on more favorable conditions.

“The Office for Democratic Belarus” in Brussels has addressed Belarusian citizens, parties and public movements with the proposition to support the campaign initiated by the European Parliament representatives. “The Office for Democratic Belarus” is to send letters to representatives of different political groups in the European parliament with a request to sign the declaration.

The statement by the “Office for Democratic Belarus” underlines that an important condition of the success is a strong signal from Belarus which would confirm that consideration of this question by the EU is necessary, and that further isolation of the country’s population is reducing.

For the moment Belarus is the only country of Eastern Europe for which the EU does not have relax visa requirements. Last year Ukraine and Russia signed an agreement on simplified visa regime in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy announced by the EU. Under this agreement, a Schengen visa for citizens of these countries costs 35 Euros while it costs 60 Euros for Belarusian citizens.