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Cooperation between EU and the Republic of Belarus trough the Visions of Neighborhood Policy
As concerns the EU's approach to relations with the Republic of Belarus, in the document of the European Commission named “Big Europe - Neighborhood: A new framework for EU relations with our Eastern and Southern Neighbors” a special attention has been given to our country. The document stated that the EU does not possess at present a proposal that could become an alternative to the established state of relations between the EU and Belarus at that time. The main at this stage for the EU is to “bind the Republic of Belarus on the threshold of parliamentary elections 2004 to commensurate gradual process which should be focused on creating conditions for free and fair elections and, if to do so, on the involvement of Belarus in the neighborhood policy, without compromising the position of the EU regarding the protection of shared democratic values”.
The Republic of Belarus could not be a full partner in the proposed by the EU Neighborhood Policy. It was evident that with respect to our country the EU was inclined to support projects aimed at the stability of the eastern border of the enlarged EU, the development of civil society in Belarus, strengthening of information policy in the Western NIS, including Belarus, with the aim to create a positive image of the EU and the promotion of its advantages.
With regard to the official position of Belarus, the initiative to establish the European Neighborhood Policy “as consistent with national strategic priorities in terms of convergence with the EU and the formation of the zone of “neighborhood” was evaluated positively. Belarus follows the concept of “Responsible Neighborhood” . Unofficial document of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, developed in spring 2003, proposed the development of relations within the Neighborhood Policy on the following principles: guarantee of the national interests and sovereignty of the countries, as well as the provision of real benefits from cooperation with the EU; the cooperation should be flexible, combining bilateral and regional dimensions; the differentiated nature of cooperation, taking into account the specificity and the European aspirations of each of them; the usage of the experience of the candidate countries to build regional cooperation . In the proposals of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Polish initiative to develop a so-called “Eastern Dimension” of the EU, covering four countries – Russia, Belarus, the Ukraine and Moldova – and institutionalized in the form of Eastern European Regional Forum, was accented..
As a positive side, the coincidence of areas of practical interest of the EU and Belarus may be noted, especially in such areas as trade and economic, sphere of justice and of internal affairs, humanitarian and cultural. However, it is clear that without the development of relations in the political sphere, the interests in other spheres can not be implemented effectively. Parties should seek to implement a constructive dialogue on a mutually acceptable basis.
Positive aspects of the Neighborhood Policy were obvious: the recognition of the special status of the EU’s relations with Belarus as a neighboring country; the use of a regional approach establishment of cooperation with the Western NIS by means of involvement of Russia, for which the neighborhood policy was only a small part of strategic partnership with the EU. Such a regional approach, according to Western researchers, allowed the EU to construct a “balancing act” for the Ukraine between its Western orientation and its attachment to Russia, and for Belarus to create a balance between the Union with Russia and the opening to the West, which can not be avoided in the future. For Belarus, it presupposed the possibility through Russia and regional cooperation to improve, at least, economic relations with the enlarged EU. A positive aspect of the Neighborhood Policy was also the intensification of cross-border cooperation, which was to promote stability in Europe and meets the strategic interests of Belarus. The negative aspect was the unwillingness of the EU to increase funding for Belarus under the TACIS program; Belarus had one of the last places in terms of financing among the CIS countries. In this regard, the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus appealed to a balanced funding from the INTERREG and TACIS, as the failure of such approach could complicate the implementation of joint projects at both sides of the border.
It should be noted that the new EU members have also expressed the interest to development of constructive relations with their immediate neighbors in the East, as document “Non-paper” proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland evidenced; this document proposed the creation of medium-term pan-European economic space and political unity. Offers of Poland testified that after the enlargement of the EU, the “lobby” in favor of the Neighborhood Policy will be increased, that can bring benefits for Belarus.
See also: Stages of Neighborhood Policy Implementation
© National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 2011
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