EU to allocate €30mn to support Belarusian pro-democracy movement

The live coverage has ended.

“The people of Belarus deserve free and fair elections. They deserve justice and a life without fear. Today, I met with @tsihanouskaya to inaugurate the #BelarusDays, showcasing our solidarity with political prisoners and their families,” EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas said on X.

December 12, Pozirk. (17:34) The European Union (EU) knows the difference between the Belarusian people and the ruling regime, said Marta Kos, the EU enlargement commissioner, at a conference in Brussels.

According to Kos, the EU has stopped cooperating with the Belarusian government and state-owned companies and imposed sanctions on the regime.

“At the same time we have strengthened our support to the Belarusian democratic forces and civil society. Today, I am happy to announce a new assistance package for the people of Belarus worth €30 million. It will help sustain independent voices, protect human rights defenders, and help culture and education in exile,” she said.

According to the commissioner, the EU’s contribution since 2020 will have totaled €170 million. She described this aid as a concrete expression of Europe’s solidarity. It has helped provide legal and medical support to more than 3,000 repression victims, scholarships to more than 3,000 students and bailouts to thousands of businesses in exile, Kos said.

“Throughout European history we have seen how the spirit of freedom prevails against all odds. Today, that same spirit lives in the courage of the Belarusian people, the resilience of your exiled communities, and the creativity of your artists,” she asserted.

She assured Belarusians that the EU will stand by their aspirations for a free, democratic and independent Belarus as part of a peaceful and prosperous Europe.

The high-level conference Standing with the People of Belarus is part of this week’s Days of Belarus.

For comparison, the budget of the Union State, Russia’s key political tool for the absorption of Belarus, will exceed $66 million next year.

Opposition leader accuses Łukašenka of dragging Belarus deeper into war

December 12, Pozirk. (12:23) Alaksandar Łukašenka’s regime continues to supply weapons to Russia and drag Belarus deeper into war, Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja said yesterday.

The politician made this statement at the fourth meeting of the EU Consultative Group with the Belarusian opposition in Brussels which hosts a series of events designed to demonstrate the EU’s solidarity and continued commitment to the Belarusian people.

The security guarantees treaty between Belarus and Russia signed last week increases Belarus’ dependence on Russia and poses risks of an escalation, the politician said.

Russia views Belarus as its territory and uses Belarusian airspace to attack Ukrainian cities, while Minsk faces more difficulties in concealing its participation in the war, Cichanoŭskaja said, noting that discontent with such policies is reportedly growing even among Belarusian officials.

In an escalation, Belarus may become a Russian military outpost, while potential peace talks harbor the risk that Belarus becomes Moscow’s consolation prize, she added. The Belarusian pro-democracy forces seek to prevent it and demand the withdrawal of Russian troops both from Ukraine and Belarus, the politician stressed.

“As long as Belarus is under the rule of a pro-Russian dictator, Ukraine and the entire region will be constantly threatened,” Cichanoŭskaja said.

The politician also urged the EU to work out a joint strategy for Belarus with the US new political leadership.

December 12, Pozirk. (12:09) Belarusian pro-democracy forces will hold a conference in Warsaw on January 26, Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja said yesterday.

The event is timed to coincide with the main voting day in Belarus’ presidential election denounced as a sham by the opposition.

The congress will outline opposition priorities for 2025 and “demonstrate our unity and solidarity with political prisoners,” she told the he fourth meeting of the EU Consultative Group with Belarusian pro-democracy forces in Brussels.

“It is important to convey to the Belarusians that our struggle continues,” the politician said. “The regime in Belarus is far from stability and we should be ready for any unexpected developments. Changes can come unexpectedly in dictatorships, as the events in Syria have shown.”

The relentless politically-motivated reprisals in the run-up to the January 21-26 poll show that Alaksandar Łukašenka and his officials are insecure, Cichanoŭskaja said, noting that the election will fail to create an illusion of competition.

Authorities plan the election as a military operation, mocking the democracy, the politician added, encouraging Belarusians to vote against all candidates or protest in any other safe form. “No one will count the votes, but we should use this campaign to keep up pressure on Łukašenka,” she said.

“Regardless of the numbers Łukašenka will put down in the final tally, the poll should not change the EU policy. He is not the president and will not regain any legitimacy after January,” Cichanoŭskaja stressed.

Belarus has not held a single free and fair election since 1996 by the standards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.