Authors

Discussion

Belarus-European Union (EU) relations have had a complex history, marked by periods of tension and rapprochement.The EU has consistently called for democratic reforms in Belarus while imposing sanctions in response to violations and abuses of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Yet, after nearly three decades of engagement with the official Minsk, the EU has not succeeded in weakening the authoritarian regime of Aliaksandr Lukashenka and bringing democratic changes in Belarus.

This paper sets a three-fold goal. First, it aims to identify and analyze different phases in Belarus-EU relations starting from the early 90s until the present time. Second, it will scrutinize the factors that have influenced the changes in the Belarus-EU relations cycle. Finally, it will discuss the drawbacks of the EU’s policy approach towards Belarus and analyze the variables that can affect the development of Belarus-EU relations in the future. This chapter will pay special attention to analysing the post-2020 phase, in particular, the EU’s response to Belarus’ role in Russia’s war against Ukraine. It will discuss, to what extent the EU’s policy approach has been effective and what might speed up democratic changes in Belarus.