Ulad Vialichka:For now there is no saying about systematic approach to countries-outcasts of the EaP

European Dialog on Modernization (EDM) came to a halt. Whether “Reforum” project will survive is unknown yet, too.

 Three countries-members of the “Eastern Partnership” initiative signed EU Association Agreements. Belarus persistently proves that it is still remains in the group of countries-outcasts within the EaP. However, Ulad Vialichka, the head of the International Consortium “EuroBelarus”, believes that we shouldn’t look only on the black side of the situation.

- There are two perspectives from which we can look upon the situation with signing of Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine EU Association Agreements. On the one hand, we are seriously lagging behind our neighbors and partners in EaP in respect of European integration at all levels. And although we should consider it to be a very negative factor, I see certain positive sides in it. During European integration all the three countries – Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia – are at different levels and with different perspectives, which hard to go through, - noted Ulad Vialichka in the interview with the “EuroBelarus” Information Service. – All three countries will be experiencing hardships during the adaptation process in accordance with the signed agreements – and, obviously, we can understand a lot from their experience. They demonstrate us the direction Belarus might take if our country chooses pro-European path. Such position can be good to assess pros and cons; so I wouldn’t exaggerate the negative side of the situation, but rather look upon it as upon a certain lesson for Belarus.

- At the end of the last week Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies (BISS) held the first meeting of the Forum of political opposition and civil society within the framework of the “Reforum” project. BISS presents “Reforum” as a project in support of the European Dialog on Modernization, announced by the EU in 2012. However, it is already known that authorities won’t take part in the project, though at the beginning of this year they announced their plans to participate in the event. You are a member of the project’s Board; what we are to expect from the realization of “Reforum”?

- For me, the start of “Reforum” de-facto meant the end of the “European Dialog on Modernization”. I see no sense in the idea of political round-table dialog of all interested anymore. From this perspective, “Reforum” promises to be quite good though restricted in possibilities project on reforms’ elaboration. I believe there is no sense in looking upon it as upon continuation of EDM; any attempts to develop EDM as a stakeholder’s dialog died out, both in the eyes of Belarusan government as well as in the eyes of other Belarusan political players, including EU delegation to Belarus. That is why I look upon the “Reforum” project as upon an expert project, where experts are elaborating draft reforms. However, using these reforms in practice is still a problematic question – there is no guarantee that the work of the experts won’t vanish into thin air. “Reforum” is a project-hope, a project-supposition. A lot depends on how this work will be interpreted.

We should also understand the context in which the reforms are going on. We shouldn’t disregard a certain excitement in Europe-Belarus relations over the last time, even though at technical level. Similar rise in interest of the two sides is also happening now in Azerbaijan. As I see it, there is certain reorganization within the European politics of good-neighborhood and “Eastern Partnership” program, when the EU is looking for certain way of acting with the countries-outcasts. Although EDM is absolutely different for Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus, I think that the tendency is common: the EU suggests or will be suggesting some formats of dialog for the countries, which don’t have political will for getting closer with the EU.

- Does it mean that we can expect the reformation of the “Eastern Partnership” initiative?

- EU didn’t confirm that; however, we can assume that the latest EU actions are aimed at finding an adequate policy for the countries-outcasts. But it is still too early to say that the EU has systematic policy towards these countries.