On Thursday 24 June the European Council welcomed in its conclusions the rapid implementation of the measures on Belarus in line with its conclusions of 24-25 May 2021 (see EUROPE 12725/1).
At the meeting, leaders had called for a ban on Belarusian airlines flying over EU airspace and access to EU airports (see EUROPE 12734/3) and for sanctions to be adopted against, among others, those responsible for the hijacking of the Ryanair flight on 23 May and the arrest of Raman Pratasevich and his partner, Sofia Sapega (see EUROPE 12745/1). They had also called for new targeted economic sanctions (see EUROPE 12748/5).
In its conclusions, the European Council also reiterates its call for the immediate release of all political prisoners and arbitrarily detained persons, including Raman Pratasevich and Sofia Sapega, and for an end to repression of civil society and independent media.
It also reiterates the democratic right of the Belarusian people to elect their president through new, free and fair elections. See the conclusions: https://bit.ly/3dcz64q (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)