EU not satisfied but ready for cooperation with Belarus

The European Union hopes that the Belarusian authorities will make every effort to meet international standards and OSCE procedures during the local elections on April 25, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement on March 30.

The statement said: "The European Union expresses grave concern over the recent harassment of representatives of independent media, civil society and opposition organisations, including restrictions on the freedom of assembly, association and expression, as well as regrets continued difficulties with the registration of NGOs and opposition parties. EU urges Belarus to address the concerns regarding the democracy, situation for human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country.

The current trends are particularly worrisome in the run up to the 25 April local elections. The European Union attaches great importance to their good conduct and expects that the Belarusian authorities do their utmost to ensure the necessary environment for democratic elections that meet OSCE and other international standards. It regrets that the way of setting up local election commissions raises questions on adequate representation of democratic and independent NGOs. The European Union will follow closely the conduct of the local elections.