The proposal for a EU recommendation to the Council, the Commission and the European External Service over its policy towards Minsk was given on the official website of the European Parliament on May 6, 2013.
Justas Paleckis, Vice-chair for the EP Delegation for relations with Belarus, said that an improvement of the situation of human rights was discernible in 2012 and the European Dialogue on Modernisation with Belarusian society launched in 2012 has had a positive impact on the development of civil society in Belarus, and offered a number of recommendations for the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council and the European Commission.
“Whereas there are still political prisoners in Belarus; that they [EU bodies] should reiterate the need for the unconditional and immediate release and rehabilitation of the political and civic rights of all remaining political prisoners to be a prerequisite for a gradual lifting of EU restrictive measures and for a substantial upgrade in EU-Belarus relations,” he notes.
At the same time, the EP Rapporteur on Belarus recommends considering “the suspension of key officials from the EU visa ban list with a view to broadening the main and essential diplomatic communication channel with Belarus, also in view of the Eastern Partnership summit” and “increasing contacts with officials in order to foster openness of mind towards the EU and to enhance EU-Belarus cooperation”.
It is to be recalled that Justas Paleckis visited Belarus in March 2013.
Belsat
