Council Common Position 2008/844/CFSP of 10 November 2008 amending Common Position 2006/276/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against certain officials of Belarus
Date: 2008-11-10
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Belarus, civil servant, economic sanctions, free movement of persons, human rights, presidential election, restriction of liberty, tax evasion

L 300/56

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

11.11.2008

COUNCIL COMMON POSITION 2008/844/CFSP

of 10 November 2008

amending Common Position 2006/276/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against certain officials
of Belarus

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

HAS ADOPTED THIS COMMON POSITION:

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in
particular Article 15 thereof,

Article 1

Whereas:

Common Position 2006/276/CFSP is hereby extended until
13 October 2009.

(1)

(2)

(3)

On 10 April 2006,
the Council adopted Common
Position 2006/276/CFSP concerning restrictive measures
against certain officials of Belarus and repealing Common
Position 2004/661/CFSP (1).

Article 2

1.
The measures referred to in Article 1(1)(b) of Common
Position 2006/276/CFSP, insofar as they apply to Mr Yuri Niko­
laïevich Podobed, are hereby suspended until 13 April 2009.

the Council agreed that

the Council also decided that

On 13 October 2008,
the
restrictive measures provided for by Common Position
2006/276/CFSP should be extended for a period of 12
the
months. However,
travel restrictions imposed on certain leading figures in
Belarus, with the exception of
those involved in the
disappearances which occurred in 1999 and 2000 and
of the President of the Central Electoral Commission,
should not apply for a period of six months, which
could be renewed, with a view to encouraging dialogue
with the Belarusian authorities and the adoption of
measures
for
human rights.

to strengthen democracy and respect

standards

At the end of the aforementioned six-month period, the
Council will re-examine the situation in Belarus and
evaluate the progress which the Belarusian authorities
have made towards reforms of the Electoral Code to
bring it into line with OSCE commitments and other
international
for democratic elections. The
Council will also consider any other concrete actions to
strengthen respect for democratic values, human rights
and
freedom of
expression and of the media, freedom of assembly and
political association and the rule of law. The Council may
decide to apply travel restrictions sooner if necessary, in
the light of the actions of the Belarusian authorities in
the sphere of democracy and human rights.

fundamental

freedoms,

including

2.
The measures referred to in Article 1(1)(c) of Common
Position 2006/276/CFSP are hereby suspended until 13 April
2009.

Article 3

Before 13 April 2009,
examined in the light of the situation in Belarus.

this Common Position shall be re-

Article 4

Common Position 2008/288/CFSP is hereby repealed.

Article 5

This Common Position shall
adoption.

take effect on the date of

its

Article 6

This Common Position shall be published in the Official Journal
of the European Union.

Done at Brussels, 10 November 2008.

(4)

Council Common Position 2008/288/CFSP of 7 April
certain
2008 renewing restrictive measures
officials of Belarus until 10 April 2009 should be
repealed,

against

For the Council
The President

B. KOUCHNER

(1) OJ L 101, 11.4.2006, p. 5.