Brussels, 10/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 9 April, the European Parliament's 2006 Sakharov Prize winner, Alexander Milinkevitch, called for a greater opening of the EU to the citizens of Belarus. “Europe must be opened to Belarusians because more Europe in the mind means less chance for the dictatorship”, he said in an interview with EUROPE.
“It is very important to enlarge the programmes for students, for lawyers, traineeships for business people, even for people in power and for sceptics”, he said, explaining that “people need to travel. Few Belarusians travel to the EU (around 30% in his opinion), while the others don't know reality.”
Milinkevitch hailed the dialogue for modernisation set up between the EU and civil society. “Nearly everyone understands that reforms and changes are needed. (The president) Lukashenko is losing ever more influence”, he said, stating that although people do not believe that Lukashenko's team can reform the country, the opposition is not growing because citizens wonder if it is capable of making these reforms. “We must have a project, created in recognition of the reforms of our neighbouring countries. Experts need to do go and learn from our neighbouring countries that made reforms several years ago. The people who are going to make reforms need to be prepared, even in the small villages, and to promote what we have done in this dialogue. People need to trust the programme”, Milinkevitch said.
Making sanctions conditional. Milinkevitch would also like a different approach from the EU in terms of sanctions - a conditional approach, and greater contact between the European institutions and Belarusian authorities - contact which should also be conditional. “The visa sanctions (on the leaders) could be lifted if political prisoners are released”, he said, adding that, although the sanctions have a moral value, they are not an effective instrument. “Although sanctions were introduced which are moral in principle, political prisoners remain in prison. The sanctions don't free them”. Rather, in his opinion, sanctions increase the anti-European feeling, and have an influence on democracy because the authorities become ever harder. (CG/transl.fl)