Head of European Commission representation: nobody discarded 12 conditions of EU

• 6.11.2009, 18:19

On November 6 the 12th Minsk Forum finished in the capital of Belarus.

During the event many calls for cooperation with the Belarusian regime were heard, however a number of principled statements have been made as well.

Effectiveness of the policy of rapprochement of Belarus and the EU depends on the efforts of the both sides, stated Mariluise Beck, a German parliament deputy on November 6 in her speech at the 12th Minsk Forum.

As informed by BelaPAN, the deputy attracted attention to the necessity of “maintaining such important aims as freedom of mass media, possibility to work for civil society organisations and political parties”. As stated by the German deputy, the process of development of democratic structures in the country and society should take place simultaneously, among other things, through the EU program “Eastern Partnership”.

The Bundestag member thinks European institutions can try to idealize the situation in order not admit they failed to achieve the aim. Beck reminded that there are clear criteria on estimation changes and reforms in each particular country.

As Radio Svaboda reports, Jean-Eric Holzapfel, Charge d'affaires of the Delegation of the European Commission to Belarus, said at closing of the Forum that participation in the Eastern Partnership project was based on EU values. Prospects for political relations do not exclude the 12 principles. First of all, Belarus mustn’t have political prisoners, the electoral legislation must be changed, freedom of speech, association and assembles must be guaranteed.