A window of opportunity: which way in the EU-Belarus relations?

Pressed by an array of critical problems, EU leaders have all but forgotten about a country which has been dubbed ‘Europe’s last dictatorship’: Belarus. Katarzyna Sobieraj invites to return the attention to the former Soviet state as, she argues, a window of opportunity has now opened. The October 2015 presidential elections were not marked by the widespread repression that characterised the previous contest in 2010, and authorities have finally agreed to release political prisoners. According to Sobieraj, the EU should now push for electoral reforms to be implemented ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for September 2016, while not lifting sanctions unconditionally.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Council decides to lift most EU sanctions against Belarus http://www.europeansources.info/record/council-decides-to-lift-most-eu-sanctions-against-belarus/

EU: EEAS: EU relations with Belarus http://eeas.europa.eu/belarus/index_en.htm

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