Implementation of EU sanctions against Belarus

Abstract

Sanctions are one of the most important approaches to resolving international conflicts, influencing regime change in a country and promoting democracy, peace and stability in the region. They are used as an alternative to the use of military force.

The European Union, as one of the leading international organisations and actors in ensuring regional and international security, has been applying this practice for more than 70 years to overcome aggressive anti-lawful actions of countries that violate international law. This article focuses on the EU’s sanctions policy against Belarus in 2004-2024.

The European Union’s sanctions policy towards Belarus was implemented in two stages. At the first stage, the EU imposed sanctions on this country because of human rights violations, constant persecution of opposition members, and massive fraud during the presidential election, and the brutal suppression of peaceful protests. The second stage included EU sanctions against Belarus for its support and assistance to Russia in the war against Ukraine, especially in the issue of Russia’s circumvention of European sanctions.

Between March 2022 and February 2024, a number of both personal and economic restrictive measures were introduced. Despite this, the EU’s sanctions policy towards Belarus has not been very effective. In the case of Belarus, EU sanctions were more “like moral sermons, signals of moral superiority”, which primarily affect the European Union itself financially. Therefore, in April 2024, the EU agreed to strengthen sanctions against Belarus.

Today, we can only hope that the strengthening of the EU’s sanctions policy against Belarus will have a serious impact on both the economy and the overall development of the aggressor country, thereby forcing it to comply with international law.