Belarus: EU launches new Consultative Group with democratic forces and civil society

EU High Representative Josep Borrell today launched in Brussels a new Consultative Group between the European Union and Belarusian democratic forces and civil society, in the presence of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and other prominent figures of the Belarusian opposition and civil society. 

Acting as a platform of dialogue between the EU and representatives of Belarusian civil society, the Consultative Group will ensure information sharing on the situation in the country, and will help shape further EU actions in support of a free, sovereign, and democratic Belarus, according to a press release by the European External Action Service.

Representatives of the EU and Belarus today discussed the deteriorating human rights situation in the country, including the conditions of political prisoners and their families, and the goals and needs of democratic forces.

The participants condemned the complicity of Belarus in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, including the regime’s increased nuclear rhetoric.

Since the fraudulent elections of August 2020, the EU has committed more than €100 million in support of the Belarusian people, including human rights organisations, civil society, independent media, cultural institutions, and small and medium-sized enterprises. The EU says it remains ready to activate a €3 billion comprehensive plan in support of a democratic Belarus, once Belarus embarks on a path to democratic transition.

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Press release