European People’s Party offers stop issuing loans to Lukashenka

• 9.03.2010, 15:05

Members of the European Parliament offer to impose a range of economic restrictions on Belarus, if the country’s authorities continue disregarding human rights.

As Euroradio reports, this information comes from the draft resolution of the largest EP political group – European People’s Party.

According to MEPs, if Belarus doesn’t meet commitments, it can lose an opportunity to use the EU’s financial instruments – the European Investment Bank, European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument and extended assistance of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Furthermore, Belarus will lose the possibility to be reinstated in the Generalized System of Preferences. A question of giving the next IMF tranche remains open.

The draft resolution also notes that further violations of human rights in Belarus may lead to a review of the European Union’s attitude to Belarus including sanctions.

At the same time, the group of European Conservatives and Reformists has urged the European Council of Ministers to consider the possibility of imposing the ban on visiting EU member states for a number of Belarusian officials which would not affect ordinary citizens. We remind that political group will approve one joint project out of the suggested six and vote for it on March 10.