EU Commissioner arrives in Minsk with condition

• 8.07.2010, 12:57

Progress in democracy and respect for human rights is an essential condition for Belarus-EU cooperation.

“We need to see more progress in observing human rights and fundamental freedoms, increasing the level of democracy and further promoting the rule of law,” the European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule said in the article published by “Sovetsakaya Belorussia” newspaper on July 8, ahead of his visit to Belarus scheduled for July 8-9.

These values have “fundamental meaning for us, our people and everyday life of the Belarusians, so we stand for a dialogue and cooperation,” the Commissioner noted. According to him, progress in democracy and respect for human rights is an essential condition for further cooperation between Belarus and the EU.

He stressed that the EU’s Neighbourhood Policy is based on a win-win game. “The stronger ambitions for reforms our partners have, the stronger our response will be. We have developed a regional policy called Eastern Partnership for out eastern neighbours. We offer out eastern neighbours a set of instruments able to reform and strengthen their governing structure. This will stimulate economic growth and raise our neighbours’ standards of living to the EU’s level,” the article says.