Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-09-14-Speech-2-044"
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"en.20040914.3.2-044"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we do not believe the situation in Belarus to be satisfactory and the results of the efforts to assist civil society and support the democratisation process are extremely frustrating. We must try to improve the functioning and capacity of our support and therefore improve the capacity of any political measures we adopt with a view to applying pressure in order to promote the democratisation of Belarus.
Specifically, the European Union’s TACIS programme provides for EUR 10 million for 2005-2006 and will focus on supporting that civil society, cooperating in the field of higher education and alleviating the consequences of the Chernobyl accident which unfortunately was not so much an accident as a disaster.
I must also point out that the European initiative for democracy and human rights will play a very active role in Belarus in the coming years. Specifically, in 2005-2006 the candidates in Belarus will be able to request aid within the framework of two campaigns we are going to launch, aimed at promoting the culture of human rights and promoting democratic processes.
I would, however, emphasise – and I said this at the beginning of my speech in this debate – that the authorities of Belarus are placing administrative obstacles in the way of all the programmes for this type of assistance we are proposing, and we must be able to overcome this resistance.
Turning to certain more specific issues, is it possible to collaborate with regional or even local governments? Yes, provided that the national authorities of Belarus do not prevent us from ensuring that current funds reach their destination. Are there any funds? Yes, and furthermore the ceiling available is not being used because of the problems I am referring to, caused by the Belarusian authorities.
We are worried about the closure of newspapers, the restriction of freedom of expression, persecution – in some cases of opposition elements – and the outlawing of political parties – we have naturally protested and are continuing to protest. In this regard, the Council of General Affairs Ministers – that is to say the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the 25 States of the Union – yesterday issued a protest at the development of the situation in Belarus.
We protested at the closure of universities – specifically the University of Minsk– and we will continue to do so, but we must be aware of how far we can go, and that limit is largely set by the authorities of Belarus, which is clearly not a democracy but rather a dictatorship.
I also believe, ladies and gentlemen, that we must make use of the family relations between Belarusian citizens and citizens of European Union countries to promote the European Union’s ideology, which is the ideology of freedom, of human dignity.
I also believe that we must promote political cooperation between political parties as much as possible and, to this end – as I have said – there are funds, there are possibilities, and this Parliament and its Members have a role to play. We must be aware that things are not easy, that it does not appear that the latest measures taken by the Lukashenko regime are going to improve the situation, but we must nevertheless have faith in the citizens of Belarus. It is not, moreover, a question of telling its citizens they are going to become members of the European Union, as I heard some honourable Members say a moment ago. It will be they who decide in the future whether to go ahead with their strategic alliance or reunification with their neighbour Russia. We cannot get into that kind of argument, which could create more tension.
The main objective is the full democratisation of Belarus, economic support to promote that democratisation, and then, once that democratisation is achieved through our neighbourhood policy, support for development and economic recovery and the improvement of living conditions in that country, which is a European country and a neighbour of the European Union.
It is regrettable that parts of the Berlin Wall, which has come down right across Europe, should remain on a border with the European Union. There remain certain fragments, in Belarus for example, and if one of the objectives of European Union action and presence at world level is to support democratisation and defend human rights, that objective and concern clearly become all the more important in the case of an immediate neighbour, in other words, on our own border.
I would like to say that we in the Commission cannot accept Mr Czarnecki’s assertion that we are only concerned about the Mediterranean and not about Eastern Europe. How can you say we have not worried about Eastern European when, amongst other things, we have carried out an enlargement involving eight Eastern European countries, and within three years two more Eastern European countries will join. When you see Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and other Mediterranean countries becoming members of the European Union, then I will accept that we are more concerned about the Mediterranean, but that is not the case now. All we are offering the Mediterranean is a neighbourhood policy – it is our southern flank – and if you consider the demographic figures, you will see that, although you may be in Poland, what happens in the Mediterranean affects you considerably. If, moreover, you are in Poland – that is to say, in the European Union – the Mediterranean is your problem, not just a problem for the Italians, the Maltese, the Cypriots, the Spanish, the Portuguese or the French. The Mediterranean is your problem as a Pole and as a Member of the European Union. Let us not confuse our values nor our objectives and priorities.
Eastern Europe, Europe – there is a reason why we call ourselves the European Union – is also our priority. So much so that we have been able to enlarge, to grow – and we are continuing to do so now – and there has not yet been any talk of closing those borders. So let us see things as they really are.
With regard to the various suggestions, I will refer firstly to the possibility of participating as observers in the forthcoming referendum and elections in Belarus. I would like firstly to point out that the Belarusian Government has only invited the OSCE to participate as an observer – specifically its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights – and that this Parliament has not been invited officially.
The European Union is prepared to work together with the OSCE, which has been invited to attend as an observer solely at the parliamentary elections, not the referendum, which we believe it should also be invited to. We believe it to be important that that monitoring be extended to the referendum. Furthermore, we are going to continue working to ensure that the number of observers is increased and, possibly, that Members of this European Parliament can also participate. We must remember that this is not currently the case and that we need to be invited in order to participate in this type of activity.
The next issue raised by certain speakers relates to the idea that our actions until now have not been sufficiently effective, that they are not producing results and that we should be much more active. We in the Commission are prepared to promote that activity, but we must appreciate that there are limits.
Furthermore, some of you have said that spiritual assistance is not enough and that what is needed is financial assistance. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to point out that there is currently assistance for Belarus for promoting democratisation, as well as shaping and strengthening civil society, but we wish to increase that assistance.
The European Union will maintain its aid in support of civil society and democratisation, regional and humanitarian cooperation, neighbourhood programmes and measures for facilitating movement in border areas."@en1
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