Vilnius, 29/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - The member states of the European Union, its institutions and partner countries are progressing on the launch of negotiations for visa facilitation and readmission agreements with Belarus, announced the Eastern Partnership joint statement on 29 November. Belarus has said it is ready to start the negotiations on visa facilitation with the EU, said European Council President Herman Van Rompuy at the final press conference. “I'm sure that this will be for the benefit of the citizens of Belarus - particularly young people. And I also hope the future democratisation of Belarus will enable the country fully to seize the potential of this partnership”, said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (our translation throughout). A visa currently costs €60 - a price which is criticised by civil society and the Belarusian opposition who find it too high.
The final statement from the summit also states that the EU remains engaged in the dialogue on modernisation with Belarusian society and that exchanges are under way between the EU and the government of Belarus with a view to determining the best future form of cooperation on modernisation issues. Cooperation could take place at the level of Belarusian senior officials.
The participants in the summit also noted the strengthened bilateral dialogue between the EU and Belarus on issues, such as economic and financial cooperation, and the environment and education. They encouraged the continued development of these dialogues. (CG/transl.fl)