Ulad Vialichka: The potential of the civil society is not used thoroughly

Civil society didn’t manage to find its place in the program of co-operation between the EU and Belarus; i.e. between “Eastern Partnership” and “the European Dialog on Modernization”.

Such opinion shared Ulad Vialichka, the chairman of the International Consortium "EuroBelarus", talking about actual problems that are worth discussion at the next conference of the National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum that is to take place on the 1^st of June.

The topic of the conference is announced as “Civil community between the Eastern Partnership and the European Dialog on Modernization”. “It means that to a certain point civil community came to be between these programs never finding its place in any of the two. This still remains a task to be solved”, - Ulad Vialichka noted.

There is no doubt that certain representatives of the civil community are actively employed in both of the programs, agreed the head of the “EuroBelarus”. “But what concerns the role and place of the civil community in such processes and international programs, the potential of the civil society is not used thoroughly, which is the problem of not only the organizations themselves, but the problem from the side of the European Union as well as other interested political players, too”, - he mentioned.

On the whole, we shouldn’t wait something special from the next conference of the National Platform, Ulad Vialichka believes, as it is rather designed to resolve a number of working questions. Elaboration of recommendations of the Belarusan organizations to the participation in the 5^th Civil Society Forum in Chisinau and re-elections of the National Platform Coordination Committee are among them.

 Nevertheless, National Platform didn’t hold conferences since November of the last year, recalled the head of the “EuroBelarus”. He believes that “the latest activity in the contacts between Belarus and Europe, certain activation of government also need comments, especially considering the Summit planned for the autumn and the discussion whether Belarus will get invitation or not”.

“I think that the civil society should assess the government in point of the Eastern Partnership and speak on the subject of possible actions of the EU in connection with this issue”, - Ulad Vialichka mentioned.

He assumes that the main aspect that will be considered when deciding upon Belarus’ invitation to the summit is whether there exists at least some small progress in the problem of political prisoners and liberalization in the country.

“2,5 years have already passed from December 2010. And we can say that since then there were no important positive changes in relationships between Belarusan civil society and the state; otherwise, they have been regressing. That is why I don’t think that the Belarusan civil community will be optimistic about accessing official Minsk to the Eastern Partnership and inviting it to the Summit”, - mentioned Ulad Vialichka.

“On the other hand, such situation cannot last forever, - he admitted. – Of course, this way or another, the problem connected with relationship’s defrosting should be resolved. The only thing is that the solution shouldn’t lie in the sphere of principal questions, such as political prisoners and pressure on the civil society”.