Brussels, 29/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 29 March, Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Commissioner Stefan Füle launched the European Dialogue on Modernisation with Belarusian society at a meeting in Brussels with representatives of Belarusian civil society and political opposition. The dialogue which will be conducted in several stages, the first of which has begun and will end with the general election in September, will focus on four key areas: political reform; reform of the judiciary and people-to-people contacts; economic and sector policy issues; and trade and market reform.
The dialogue is a multi-stakeholder exchange of views and ideas between the EU and representatives of the Belarusian civil society and political opposition on necessary reforms for the modernisation of Belarus and on the related potential development of relations with the EU, as well as possible EU support. “I hope our joint and committed work will help clarifying our understanding on the vision of what a modern and democratic Belarus could look like and about what would be needed to take us there”, Füle said. The dialogue will be “inclusive for all who have a vision of better, European future for Belarus”, he added, deploring the fact that some members of civil society and the opposition had been prevented by the authorities from travelling to Brussels. (CG/transl.rt)