Belarus and EaP: way ahead?

The representatives of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, the representatives of the European Union and its member states have met in Vilnius on 28-29 November 2013 and signed a joint declaration on the results of the summit. What has the meeting brought to the Belarusians?

According to the Document, mobility of citizens in a well-managed and secure environment is an important element of the Eastern Partnership. The participants of the Vilnius Summit also look ahead to the launch of negotiations of Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements with Belarus, the declaration says.

Secondly, the participants concerned welcome joint work towards increasing mutual energy security including through network developments and gradual integration with the EU’s internal energy market and promotion of cross border trade. ‘The Summit participants take note of the important contribution of Belarus to Europe’s energy security by providing significant energy transit and they support further dialogue based on the 2009 Declaration on Cooperation of the European Commission and the Government of the Republic of Belarus in the field of energy. Dialogue has focused on energy security, regulatory issues, networks, energy efficiency and renewable energy,’ the declaration reads.

Thirdly, the participants of the Vilnius Summit noted the enhanced bilateral sectoral dialogues between the EU and Belarus on issues such as economic and financial cooperation, the environment and education, and encouraged the further development of these sectoral dialogues.

Finally, the Summit participants also pointed out that the EU remains engaged in a European Dialogue on Modernisation with Belarusian society and that exchanges are ongoing between the EU and the Belarusian government with a view to determining the best future form of cooperation on modernisation issues.

You can find a full text of the Declaration here.

www.belsat.eu/en