European Parliament resolution on the situation in Belarus prior to the presidential elections on 19 March 2006
Date: 2006-02-16
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Belarus, EU aid, organisation of elections, political situation, presidential election

C 290 E/404

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

29.11.2006

Thursday 16 February 2006

17. Welcomes the new Commission communication on the western Balkans, which aims at fostering
trade, economic development, movement of persons, education and research, regional cooperation and
civil society dialogue as a further step forward towards the integration of the countries of the region into
the European structures;

18.
Reiterates its calls for strengthened cooperation with the countries in the region on border control, as
part of a wider EU justice and home affairs strategy for the region, and looks forward to the progressive
easing of visa requirements which this process entails;

19. Welcomes the recently signed agreement between Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia-Montene-
gro on the return of refugees and property reparations as an important step towards tackling the legacy of
about three million refugees and internally displaced persons; urges the Commission and the Member States
not to further decrease their contributions to housing reconstruction and economic sustainability projects
and, where possible, to make donations, loans and investments conditional upon employment opportunities
for returnees;

20.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of
the Member States, the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the governments of its entities, and the
High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

P6_TA(2006)0066

Belarus

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Belarus prior to the presidential elections on
19 March 2006

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Belarus, in particular its resolutions of
10 March 2005 on Belarus (1), of 7 July 2005 on the political situation and independence of the
media in Belarus (2) and of 29 September 2005 on Belarus (3),

— having regard to its resolution of 5 July 2001 on Belarus (4), adopted prior to the 2001 presidential
elections, to the reports of the Parliamentary Troika, composed of members of the European Parliament
and the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-
operation in Europe (OSCE), of 16 October 2000 on the political situation in Belarus in the light of the
parliamentary elections of October 15th, and of 4 October 2001 on the 2001 presidential election, and
to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe resolution of 26 January 2006 on the situation
in Belarus on the eve of the presidential election,

— having regard to the award of its Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to the Belarusian Association

of Journalists in December 2004,

— having regard to the conclusions on Belarus issued by the Council following its meeting of 30 January
2006 and to the declaration by the European Union and the United States of 3 February 2006 on their
relations with Belarus,

— having regard to the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Needs

Assessment Mission Report of 31 January 2006,

— having regard to Rule 103(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

(1) OJ C 320 E, 15.12.2005, p. 276.
(2) Text Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0295.
(3) Text Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0363.
(4) OJ C 65 E, 14.3.2002, p. 373.

29.11.2006

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 290 E/405

A. whereas presidential elections will take place in Belarus on 19 March 2006,

Thursday 16 February 2006

B. whereas the presidential and parliamentary elections in Belarus in 2000, 2001 and 2004 did not meet
international standards, according to the European Union, the Council of Europe and the OSCE,

C. whereas the Belarus authorities are creating obstacles to the campaigning of the independent candidates,
such as extremely short campaign durations, very low financial allowances for candidates, very
restricted access to the public and private media, and dependency on the local authorities for choosing
venues for meetings with voters, while the incumbent president has practically unlimited access to
media,

D. whereas opposition representatives are almost entirely excluded from participation in the election com-

missions,

E. whereas a number of leading members of the opposition have been detained following trials based on
questionable charges, thus distorting the electoral process and confirming the abuse of the judicial
system for political purposes and the lack of independence of the judiciary in Belarus,

F. whereas the Belarusian authorities have adopted new regulations imposing restrictions on Belarusians'

freedom to travel abroad and foreigners' freedom to visit Belarus,

G. whereas the Belarusian authorities have launched a campaign accusing some democratic countries that

support the opposition of destabilising the political situation in Belarus and of recruiting spies,

H.

extremely concerned at the decision of the Belarusian Supreme Economic Court of 20 December 2005
to reverse its previous decision and to reinstate harsh penalties against the Belarusian Helsinki Com-
mittee (BHC), including crippling fines and back taxes and renewed threats of criminal prosecution
against the BHC Chairwoman and Chief Accountant,

I.

stressing the increasing political isolation of Belarus, the only European country not yet linked to the
EU by at least a partnership and cooperation agreement,

J. whereas the independence of the media and freedom of expression in Belarus have further deteriorated,
as a result of which Belarusians cannot receive the information they require to form political opinions
freely and to make a democratic choice in the forthcoming elections,

K. whereas a new project has been launched by the Commission aiming at supporting democracy and
freedom of information in Belarus, including setting up radio stations in Belarusian and Russian,

L. whereas the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has called for a joint strategy on Belarus

with the European Parliament and the OSCE,

M. whereas no improvement has been noted with regard to investigations into ‘disappearances’, freedom of

speech, freedom of assembly or the rights of minorities,

N. whereas several international institutions of which Belarus is a fully accepted member, including the
OSCE's ODIHR and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, have been invited to observe the presidential
election, but whereas neither the European Parliament nor the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe have received such an invitation and both have been informed that no such invitation will be
issued, in contrast with the case of the presidential elections of 2001,

C 290 E/406

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

29.11.2006

Thursday 16 February 2006

1.
Deplores the continuing deterioration of the political situation and the continuing violations of the
civil and human rights of the Belarusian people; strongly denounces indiscriminate attacks on the media,
journalists, members of the opposition, human rights activists and minorities; condemns the decision of the
Supreme Court of Belarus to dissolve the Belarusian Union of Youth and Children's Public Association;

2.
Is deeply concerned about the fact that, according to the most recent reports assessing the conditions
for the presidential elections, preparations for these elections are taking place against a background of
increased constraints on citizens, on the independence of the media, and on opposition political parties,
which, following the 2004 parliamentary elections, have no representation in the Belarusian parliament;

Expresses its solidarity with, and support for, all Belarusians who strive for an independent, open and

3.
democratic Belarus based on the rule of law;

4.
Calls on the Belarusian authorities to adhere strictly to international standards in the preparations for
the presidential elections in March 2006, in the registration and verification of candidates, during the cam-
paign and during the election itself;

Condemns the recently adopted ‘anti-revolution law’, which, amongst other things, allows the Belaru-
5.
sian authorities to imprison anyone suspected of providing or financing training for people to take part in
street protests or anyone suspected of misinterpreting or providing information about the situation in Bela-
rus in any foreign country or international organisation; urges the competent authorities in Belarus to
reconsider their decision and to reject the anti-revolution bill;

Stresses that the following criteria must be fulfilled if the presidential elections are to be recognised as

6.
free and democratic:

— full transparency of the electoral process in all its aspects, in particular as regards the process of regis-

tering candidates, the composition of the electoral commissions and the counting of the votes,

— equal conditions for all election candidates, in particular as regards access to the media, especially the

electronic media, and other forms of electioneering,

— the refraining by State and government bodies from any act that may be considered as harassment of

candidates, their relatives or their supporters,

— the guarantee that all those engaged in observing the presidential elections, especially those not con-
nected to particular candidates, and those involved in recruitment and training for these activities, will
be completely free to carry out their work, where relevant in cooperation with international institu-
tions, which constitutes an essential element in the transparency and verifiability of the electoral pro-
cess;

7. Welcomes the Belarusian authorities' invitation to the OSCE's ODIHR election observation mission,
but urges the responsible Belarusian authorities to allow that mission to operate unimpeded in Belarus and
to grant all participants in the mission full and unrestricted access to all areas of Belarus and to all aspects
of the election process;

Deeply deplores the fact that, in contrast with the 2001 presidential elections, the European Parliament
8.
and the Council of Europe have received no invitation to observe the presidential elections and calls on the
Belarusian authorities to extend a corresponding invitation to both institutions as soon as possible;

Expresses its hope that opportunities will be created to increase the number of short-term inter-
9.
national observers, by inviting representatives of other international organisations to observe the election
in Belarus;

Calls on the Belarusian authorities to allow independent exit polls to be conducted on the day of the

10.
election;

11.
Encourages the people of Belarus to participate in the forthcoming presidential election; recognises
the great importance of these elections, whose outcome may decisively influence the future of Belarus and
its reintegration into the international democratic community;

29.11.2006

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 290 E/407

Thursday 16 February 2006

12.
Emphasises, once again, that the further development of the EU's relations with Belarus will continue
to depend on the progress made towards democratisation and reform in the country, and in particular on
transparent and fair presidential elections;

13.
Considers that should the Belarusian authorities fail to ensure free and fair presidential elections, the
Commission, the Council and the Parliament should consider further initiatives, including expanding the
visa-ban list, particularly for those responsible for any falsifications during the forthcoming elections, as
well as freezing the assets of representatives of the Belarusian authorities;

14.
Calls on the Council and the Commission to monitor closely the situation in Belarus in the run-up to
and during the elections; calls on the Council and the High Representative to consider appointing a Special
Representative for Belarus should respect for democratic principles further deteriorate; welcomes the Com-
mission's recent decisions concerning the launch and extension of the broadcasting of independent news
and information to the citizens of Belarus; invites the Commission to consider drawing up a new strategy
for Belarus if the proceedings during and after the elections do not meet international democratic standards;

15.
Expects such a strategy to include concrete proposals for a more flexible use of EU technical assist-
ance and financial support for civil society, as well as other measures aimed at the restoration of democracy
in the country;

16.
Is encouraged by the Commission's transfer of EUR 2 million from TACIS to the European Human
Rights and Democracy Initiative, thus allowing for greater flexibility and effectiveness in relations with
Belarusian civil society;

Calls on the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and the OSCE, and the United States

17.
Congress, to work jointly with the European Parliament on Belarus;

Calls on the Council and the Commission to raise the issue of Belarus with the Russian authorities so

18.
as to define a common responsibility for bringing about concrete democratic changes in Belarus;

Reiterates its call on the Belarus authorities for the immediate release of Mikhail Marynich and Mika-
19.
lai Statkevich, and other political prisoners, and calls on the Council and the Commission to insist on the
release of these prisoners, as well as on a transparent investigation into the ‘disappearance’ of opposition
leaders;

20.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Governments
and Parliaments of the Member States, the Government of Belarus, the United States Congress and the
Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and the OSCE.

P6_TA(2006)0067

Risk and crisis management in agriculture

European Parliament resolution on risk and crisis management

in the agricultural sector

(2005/2053(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council on risk and crisis manage-

ment in agriculture (COM(2005)0074),

— having regard to the Commission memorandum of 6 September 2005 (MEMO/05/302) establishing a

‘Five-point plan to react to the surge in oil prices’,

— having regard to the study commissioned by the European Parliament on ‘Risk and crisis management

in agriculture’,