MEPs urged the EU to take action against the Belarusian government of Alexander Lukashenko over its use of migrants and asylum seekers to put pressure on Europe’s borders, in an exchange with Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson late on Tuesday morning 5 October.
The Commissioner, speaking in the absence of Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, recalled the many actions taken by the Union, including the summer sanctions following the hijacking of the Ryanair flight orchestrated by the Belarusian President (see EUROPE 12749/12).
She said Lukashenko’s recent actions were “proof that sanctions are hurting”, prompting the regime to retaliate with “frantic” measures. The Union must therefore remain “firm”, in line with the values it defends, while protecting its borders. However, she did not go any further on possible new sanctions, although the European Parliament has called for them.
With the exception of the ID group and the ECR group (the latter not being represented in the debate by an MEP), all MEPs speaking on behalf of their group supported further measures against the regime. Starting with Lithuanian Andrius Kubilius, who, on behalf of the EPP group, also called for sanctions against the Kremlin - the main supporter of the Belarusian regime - with containment and deterrence measures against Russia.
He also called for Lukashenko to be brought before the International Court of Justice on the basis of the Chicago Convention, the Montreal Convention and the Convention against Torture, a call supported by German MEP Sergey Lagodinsky, also on behalf of the Greens/EFA group. The latter considered that all exports to the EU should be prevented and that the coordination of the response between Member States should be strengthened.
Speaking on behalf of the ID group, Estonia’s Jaak Madison called for moderation, saying that the EU was trying to export and impose its model on third countries. To him, this crisis shows above all that the European Union must invest more in the infrastructure of its external borders.
The EU has already adopted several rounds of sanctions against Belarus, and new measures are being prepared (see EUROPE 12783/2). MEPs will vote on a resolution on Thursday. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)