EU and Belarus: Try, try again
Hello, is this the EU? It would be super-great if the kids over in Brussels would act on the public outrage over the fraudulent election that has just occurred on your borders. Yes, you told the press that you were very, very, very angry indeed over how mean Lukashenka was to his populace, and that you might even do something really quite serious like banning visas to the EU for Belarussian officials. The only problem is, you guys already did that back in September 2004:
“In view of the apparent obstruction of justice and the absence of an investigation as requested, the European Union has decided today to restrict admission to its territory of those high officials who are considered primarily responsible for failing to initiate such an investigation and prosecution of the alleged crimes, as well as those who are considered by the Pourgourides report key actors in the disappearances and subsequent cover-up.”“The EU calls once more on the Belarusian authorities, including on the President of the Republic of Belarus, to undertake the actions as requested by the EU.”
The EU reacted to the flawed elections and referendum by increasing visa restrictions (Council Common Position on Visa Ban - 6 December 2004):
“The scope of the restrictive measures imposed by Common Position 2004/661/CFSP should therefore be expanded to persons who are directly responsible for the fraudulent elections and referendum in Belarus on 17 October 2004 and those who are responsible for severe human rights violations in the repression of peaceful demonstrators in the aftermath of the elections and referendum in Belarus."
It didn't work so well, apparently. As it turns out, it's easier to fly to Moscow anyway if a Belarussian official has a hankering for a Gucci handbag, and besides, it gives him the opportunity to pay loving tribute to the overlord in person.
So maybe it's time to try something that hits a little closer to home, like banning bilateral trade with Belarus or figuring out serious ways to support the opposition through public inclusion in EU human rights/democracy activities.
Incidentally, the Vice-President of the European Parliament agrees with me, even more damningly referring to the EU's relationship til now with Belarus as "friendly". However, he sees Belarus as a security problem for the EU, which seems a little far-fetched. What Belarus is for the EU is a public relations problem; it's darn embarassing to have a Soviet strongman sitting on the other side of Poland. And that, I think, is one of the main reasons why Belarus has been invisible until the last week or so -- no one wants to talk about it. It also points to one of the major things that the EU can do in the coming months. Quite obviously, no one inside or outside of Belarus is going to care or remember if the Belarussian Deputy Minister of Agriculture can't make it to Paris for the weekend; people will remember if the EU and the European Parliament keep the issue of Belarus alive through public shaming and public reminders of the situation just to the East. Maintain the outrage, or Belarus will go invisible again.