The EP resolution reflected the current trends

The European Parliament

The resolution followed the parliamentary elections held in Belarus and the meeting of the European Council on October 15, which extended the sanctions against Belarusan officials and businessmen.

Despite the fact that a large part of the document is traditionally devoted to the election, the resolution touches on a very important topic for the moment, both in the political situation, and in the Belarusian-European relations.

In Belarus, there is a need of the political and social forces’ consolidation for the implementation of the joint strategy. The European Parliament shares this view and calls on all the democratic forces of Belarus to unite. According to the EU deputies, the consolidation is necessary to improve the effectiveness of the democratic forces’ activity and the development of specific programs for political change and democratization of Belarus.

The European Dialogue on Modernization was conceived as a platform for dialogue within the Belarusan society in the broad sense and for the joint development of a program of Belarus’ modernization. MEPs say that the modernization dialogue has largely contributed to the cooperation between the various forces.

Analysis of the resolution text suggests that the EP refers to the Belarusan society in a broad sense, both to the political parties, and civil society actors, which should be understood by the whole range of organizations - from the various associations, individual NGOs, media and up to the individual initiatives.

The European Parliament acknowledges the political role of civil society in the democratization processes in Belarus. Their work contributes to the political participation of Belarusan citizens, increasing their aspirations for change. The resolution contains a number of recommendations to both the government and the European institutions to optimize their interaction with the third sector.

It should also be noted that the EP refers to the EU Member States and calls on them not to use the existing visa procedures at odds with the efforts of the EU Council and the European Commission to strengthen civil society. The appearance of this item is due to the recent incident with two Belarusan anti-nuclear activists who were denied entry to the territory of Lithuania. Through this appeal MEPs supported the Statement of the Belarusian National Platform of the civil society.