Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-04-05-Speech-3-200"
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"en.20060405.18.3-200"2
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".
Mr President, I think the key message here was that we would like to be able to include Belarus in the Neighbourhood Policy. That is what we would like to do, with all the benefits for the population and the country. Let me answer a few of those specific matters brought up again in the discussion.
Regarding Belarus, we are granting support to NGOs registered outside Belarus for activities benefiting Belarus through the EIDHR, the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights, and that is not natural because, according to our rules, normally we can only work with NGOs inside the country, so we have tried to find a flexible solution. That flexibility will be continued over the coming years. An additional EUR 420 000 will soon be made available to NGOs located outside Belarus under the same instrument, and calls for proposals are there.
Our future assistance tools that will replace the EIDHR and decentralised cooperation for the next period under the financial perspectives will allow for assistance to be granted outside Belarus. And we are currently finalising a proposal for our assistance strategy for the coming years.
The media project was mentioned. It was very important to start with the media project that we financed. We financed five components of the media: TV, radio, the internet, support for the independent written press and the training of journalists over the next 24 months. We will have to continue with that. The daily radio broadcasts and the weekly TV programmes for Belarus started in February and immediately – I would say, two weeks after we had signed the contract – we tried to do everything to make the population of Belarus aware of that. Both the radio and TV components will keep providing independent, reliable and – we hope – very balanced information on Belarus, as well as on the EU, on the diversity of its 25 Member countries, and on our relations with Belarus. We, the Commission, will keep on developing synergies with other donors in the scope of this project, and radio programmes are now broadcast by a number of technical providers, via both FM and AM waves – I know that is another concern – and via the internet, which includes downloading options.
On the question of visa facilitation, we know that this is something that has been requested. The general approach on visa facilitation that was adopted by the Council in December last year stated that, as opposed to readmission agreements, visa facilitation shall not be offered to third countries proactively. Despite this general common position, we are looking for possibilities to facilitate people-to-people contacts between the European Union and Belarus through measures waiving visa fees on an
basis. It is not yet decided, but it is in the pipeline. In that respect, the existing
and measures under preparation already provide for the appropriate
for Member States to hopefully waiver visa fees for visitors from Belarus.
Finally, on the question of students, we are very much inclined to facilitate access of Belarusian students to its universities. We fully share the view expressed by many of you that students have to be helped, not least because they have been the platform, the basis and the bulk of those who have protested peacefully after the elections, but also because the cementing of democracy will rest very much on their shoulders. Therefore we can facilitate access of the students to our universities, provided that all the Member States and the Commission pull their forces together and provided that we can find some sort of coordination between Member States and us, and I think the Commission would be ready to do that.
This will also require financial efforts, which we are ready to consider. We have the Tempus and Erasmus programmes and, along with efforts made by the Member States, I think we can do a lot.
Finally, on Russia, as Mr Winkler has already said, Russia is always clearly a topic in political dialogue because we speak about our common neighbours. These include the South Caucasus, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus. President Barroso spoke with vigour on 17 March and reminded President Putin of our well-known position on democratisation but also warned that we would not accept violence on election day. There was no bloodshed during the elections on election day, but Russia needs to be convinced that leaders other than President Lukashenko would not threaten the special relationship with Belarus. You can be assured that we will try to go on working for you and with you on this issue."@en1
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"marges de manoeuvre"1
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