Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has had an online meeting with Maciej Popowski, Director General of the Department of Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission. The EU representative presented a draft of a comprehensive plan of the EU assistance to Belarus to the former presidential candidate, the press service of Tsikhanouskaya reports.
The document envisages macro-financial assistance to our economy and support to political and economic reforms, including the participation of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and other international financial institutions.
An obligatory condition of the plan is that the aid should go to democratic Belarus – and not to the regime – during the transition period and after the new free elections.
Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked the EU for developing the document and urged to finalize it as soon as possible and make public the estimated amount of the financial support. The politician also noted that it’s important for the Belarusians, against whom Lukashenka is fighting, to learn as soon as possible about the practical steps of the European Union when the democratic changes in Belarus occur.
The EU aid plan was supported by the Coordinating Council, the people’s anti-crisis management, and Veranika Tsapkala.
The assistance plan to Belarus was approved at the European Council summit last October. According to the document, the EU will create a stabilization fund of at least €1 billion and provide support for small and medium-sized enterprises, the opening of the EU single market for entrepreneurs from Belarus, and visa facilitation.
“A more optimistic emphasis were the words of EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi. Namely, the European Commission is likely to present an economic plan for a democratic Belarus. This is an initiative of the Prime Ministers of the Visegrad Group,” PAP quoted Zbigniew Rau, head of Polish diplomacy, as saying.
In addition, Brussels said lately that a new package of sanctions against Belarusian officials connected with the repression of Poles was under preparation.
