Following the release of political prisoners in Belarus in 2015, there had been a period of five years of improved relations. The EU policy at that time was laid out in the February 2016 Council Conclusions on Belarus. This resulted in the lifting of the majority of restrictive measures, enhanced policy dialogue and increased financial assistance. In 2016, negotiations on EU-Belarus Partnership Priorities also began and were aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and setting the strategic framework for cooperation. Belarus had been an active participant in the Eastern Partnership initiative. The EU-Belarus Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements came into force on 1 July 2020.

This period of improved relations came to a halt due to the drastic deterioration of the human rights situation, democracy and the rule of law in Belarus in the run-up, conduct and aftermath of the fraudulent 9 August 2020 elections. Following the subsequent mass repression of peaceful protesters, civil society and the media, the EU Foreign Affairs Council adopted Conclusions on Belarus on 12 October 2020 and 19 February 2024, which guide the current EU policy on Belarus.

Since 2020, the EU has scaled down its relations with the Belarusian authorities and has redirected its assistance towards the Belarusian people and civil society, providing substantial support to the people of Belarus in six key sectors: civil society, human rights, independent media, education, culture, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in exile.

Since 2021, Lukashenka’s regime, in complicity with Russia, has been launching hybrid attacks at the EU’s external borders, including through the orchestration of migration crises for political purposes. The European Council condemned these attacks in its Conclusions of 14 and 15 December 2023.

In June 2021, Belarus suspended its participation in the Eastern Partnership and the readmission agreement with the EU. Belarusian civil society continues to be active in the Eastern Partnership.

As of 24 February 2022, the Lukashenka regime became an accomplice in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine by allowing Russia to use the Belarusian territory to invade Ukraine, and by granting Moscow full political and logistical support for the war. The EU strongly condemned the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by the armed forces of the Russian Federation and the involvement of Belarus in this aggression. The EU also condemned the complicity of the Lukashenka regime in the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to Belarus.

On 26 May 2023, Russia and Belarus took a further escalatory step by signing an agreement to allow the deployment of Russian nuclear warheads on the Belarusian territory. The EU condemned the agreement.

Human Rights

The European Union is committed to promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Belarus. Following the falsified elections in 2020, the Lukashenka regime launched a massive crackdown on the people of Belarus. Since then, the human rights situation has deteriorated further and political repression has reached unprecedented levels.

There are still more than 1300 political prisoners unjustly detained in Belarus, incarcerated in drastic conditions, often deprived of proper health care or access to family members and lawyers. The EU has continued to call on Belarus to cease the brutal repression against the civil society and ordinary citizens, immediately and unconditionally release and rehabilitate all political prisoners and to abolish death penalty.

The EU remains committed to supporting the Belarusian civil society and democratic forces, also in the framework of the EU Consultative Group with democratic forces and civil society, launched in June 2023.

Belarus is also the only country in Europe where the death penalty is still part of the legal system and – also due to a legislation on terrorism introduced by the regime – could be used against political opponents. The European Union has an unequivocal stance regarding the death penalty, which violates the right to life and is a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

Sanctions

In response to the repression, misconduct of the electoral process, inciting and organising illegal border crossings, human rights violations, the diversion of a passenger flight, and the regime’s involvement in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the EU has adopted a number of restrictive measures.

In total, the EU has imposed individual restrictive measures against 261 individuals, including Aliaksandr Lukashenka, and 37 entities.

They are subject to an asset ban and a prohibition to make funds available. Natural persons are also subject to a travel ban, which impedes the listed people from entering or transiting through EU territories.

The EU also introduced targeted economic sanctions, comprising prohibitions on sales of specific equipment, technology or software; restrictions on trade in petroleum products, potassium chloride (potash), iron and steel, wood, cement, as well as goods for the production of tobacco products; broad financial restrictions, and a prohibition on providing insurance to the Belarusian government or public bodies. The EU has also tightened the arms embargo on Belarus by removing derogations that previously existed, and introduced a ban on export of dual use goods for certain uses.

Following the review of the EU-Belarus relations, and in light of the complicit role of the Lukashenka regime in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the EU’s assistance post-2020 has been recalibrated towards non-state actors, providing substantial support to the people of Belarus in six key sectors: civil society, human rights, independent media, education, culture, and SMEs in exile.

From 2020 to 2024, the EU’s financial assistance to the people of Belarus amounted to almost €140 million through the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI).

While the EU assistance was initially focused on responding to the emergency needs of repressed citizens and civil society during the post-electoral crackdown of 2020-2021, it is now aimed at providing medium-term support to civic and media structures which face continuous repression.
At the same time, the EU has expanded its support to wider segments of society to bridge gaps in the assistance, notably through funding dedicated to the cultural sector and exiled businesses.

In the context of Russia’s growing influence on Belarus and the forced Russification of society, the EU also supports alternative educational and cultural projects contributing to maintaining the Belarusian identity. The EU also continues to support victims of repression.

Despite the fact that the Belarusian authorities have suspended the country’s participation in the Eastern Partnership framework in June 2021, Belarusians continue to benefit from and have access to some of the EU’s regional programmes, which foster cooperation between individuals and entities from all six Eastern Partnership countries. This includes programmes such as EU4Culture, EU4 Independent Media, EU 4 Gender Equality and Partnership for Good Governance.
Once Belarus embarks on a democratic transition, the EU will ensure immediate and longer-term support to help it stabilise its economy, reform its institutions and deliver benefits for citizens and society as a whole.

To support successful economic reforms, increase the economy’s resilience, growth potential and job creation, the EU stands ready to mobilise a substantial investment package for Belarus of up to €3 billion.

The comprehensive plan of economic support to democratic Belarus will be implemented through a full range of political and financial instruments closely calibrated and re-enforcing the international financial institutions’ support programmes, particularly the EIB and EBRD. The EU expects that the IMF and the World Bank would also step up support for the country once a democratic transition takes place in Belarus.

The EU has developed a close engagement with Belarusian people and civil society, and in recent years has stepped up support to the Belarusian people in education, mobility, youth and the facilitation of people-to-people contacts.

The EU-Belarus Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements entered into force on 1 July 2020.

The Visa Facilitation Agreement makes it easier for Belarusian citizens to acquire visas to come to the European Union as far as the costs and waiting time for a visa are concerned. The visa fee is reduced to EUR 35 and the service fee is lowered to EUR 30. In addition, for some categories of travellers, such as businesspeople, journalists, representatives of civil society organisations, and several others, the visa fee was altogether waived.

The Readmission Agreement established, on the basis of reciprocity, procedures for the safe and orderly return of persons who reside irregularly in the EU or Belarus, in full respect of their rights under international law. On 28 June 2021, the Belarusian authorities announced their intention to unilaterally suspend this Agreement. On 2 December 2021, Belarus officially notified the suspension, which took effect on 4 December 2021.  

On 9 November 2021, in light of the Lukashenka regime's attempts to destabilise the EU and its Member States by facilitating irregular migration for political purposes, as well as its decision to suspend the EU–Belarus Readmission Agreement, the Council of the European Union adopted a decision partially suspending the application of the EU-Belarus Visa Facilitation Agreement. The suspension applies to officials of the Lukashenka regime and covers the provisions that waive requirements for documentary evidence, regulate the issuing of multiple entry visas and reduce visa application fees. This decision does not affect ordinary citizens of Belarus, who continue to enjoy the same benefits under the Visa Facilitation Agreement as they do currently.

Young Belarusians also continue to benefit from education, training and youth exchanges under the Erasmus+ and EU4Youth programmes and the European School for the Eastern Partnership (in Georgia).

Before the current low point of the EU-Belarus bilateral relations, the European Union was Belarus' 2nd trading partner, accounting for almost a fifth of the country's overall trade. EU-Belarus bilateral trade in goods reached €12.9 billion in 2020. Belarus' exports to the EU were dominated by mineral fuels, wood and base metals, while the EU exported mainly machinery, transport equipment and chemicals to Belarus. However, since Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, with the support from the Lukashenka regime, the EU has imposed further sanctions on Belarus, which include import restrictions into the EU on, among others, potash, mineral fuels and oils, wood, iron and steel, cement and rubber tyres; and export restrictions to Belarus on dual-use goods (with certain limited exceptions), machinery and industrial goods, items used for the production of tobacco products as well as certain luxury goods. Details on the sanctions can be found here.

Until the political and humanitarian crisis that followed the falsified elections of 2020, the EU and Belarus had previously established a formal Trade Dialogue, which gathered twice a year to exchange views and information, including on domestic regulations and other trade concerns. The EU had also previously supported Belarus’ WTO accession process, including the requirements to introduce domestic reforms leading to the creation of a more predictable and stable business environment in the country. In this context, the European Union had provided technical assistance to help with this process through the TAIEX and Twinning instruments. However, in light of Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked military aggression against Ukraine on 24 February 2022, and complicity of the Lukashenka regime, many WTO members, including the EU, took a decision to stop any further consideration of Belarus’ application.

Prior to the political and humanitarian crisis of 2020, the lending mandate of the European Investment Bank (EIB), as well as the financing activities of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), were extended to Belarus. Between 2016 and 2020, the EIB committed €530 million to support the private sector, key infrastructure and climate action projects. However, further to the EU’s review of its relations with Belarus, EIB also carried out a review of its operations in Belarus. EU Member States also coordinated their positions accordingly within the EBRD Board of Directors. The EU stands ready to support a substantial scaling up of EIB and EBRD operations.