European Union: Decree on Internet and Eastern Partnership are interconnected

Lukashenka’s decree on the Internet will influence Belarus–EU relations.

Lutz Guellner, the spokesman for EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton, told this in an interview to Radio Svaboda.

“The EU wants to gradually engage with Belarus but it depends on tangible progress in specific areas that have been identified,” Guellner said. “The EU has regretted the lack of progress, in particular, in the area of human rights and fundamental freedoms but also in how political action was dealt with -- crackdowns on peaceful political actions; the continued denial of registration of many political parties and independent media. That is exactly the context in which we are looking at this specific new decree.”

According to Guellner, as the decree comes into effect on July 1, the Belarusian authorities still have an opportunity to “look into this again”.

Guellner stressed that EU–Belarus contacts, including trade ones, as part of the Eastern Partnership initiative, is linked with the level of democracy in the country.

Belarus’s participation in the EU initiative Eastern Partnership can bring positive results to both sides in interpersonal communication and other spheres vital for Belarus. “But it can only happen when this regulatory approximation has been done,” Lutz Guellner noted.

The Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe also announced its intention to examine Lukashenka’s decree on the Internet.

We remind that the scandalous decree on national segment of the Internet has been signed by Alyaksandr Lukashenka. The decree is to come into effect on July 1.The text of the draft decree appeared on the Internet in last December. It brought on criticism by the Belarusian media community and international human rights organizations, including OSCE. The draft decree met unambiguous estimation – the document is prepared to block pro-opposition Internet resources ahead of the presidential elections.

One of many item of the decree that cause concern reads: “Upon the request of a user, providers of Internet services effect services limiting access to information which is aimed at extremist activities”. Experts think pro-opposition websites can unlawfully be defined as “extremist”.