EU Council Conclusions - Belarus

- Calls on the Belarusian Government to reverse the current deteriorating trend in respect of democracy and human rights, to ensure that the electoral process is conducted in a free and fair manner in accordance with international standards, and to abide by its commitments in the OSCE and the UN;

- Calls on the Belarusian Government to issue an early invitation to a full OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission, in accordance with the 1990 Copenhagen document, and to allow it to operate unimpeded; and notes the willingness of EU Member States to contribute to that mission;

- Calls on the Belarusian Government to ensure that all eligible candidates are allowed to register for the elections, to campaign freely and to enjoy equal access to state-controlled media;

- Notes that the 17 October 2004 parliamentary elections and referendum in Belarus were not conducted in a free and fair manner; and recalls its lack of confidence that the results truly reflected the will of the Belarusian people. The Council notes the view of the Council of Europe's Venice Commission that the referendum was unlawful; expresses its concern that the 2006 Presidential election should be conducted on a legal and democratic basis. The Council, therefore, calls on the Belarusian Government to fully implement the recommendations of the respective reports of the OSCE/ODIHR in time for the Presidential election of 2006.

- Notes the importance of political pluralism and in this regard encourages the EU's political parties to strengthen links with their counterparts in Belarus, and welcomes the selection of a united opposition candidate;

- Confirms its willingness to continue to work through a range of channels to support Belarusian civil society, and welcomes the Commission's significant allocation for support for independent media in Belarus and its commitment to designate Belarus a priority country for the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights and Decentralised Cooperation Instruments in 2005-2006. On support for independent media in particular, the Council requests the Commission - on the basis of experience gained - to consider taking further action. The Council also stresses the importance of a flexible use of existing instruments and of the European Neighbourhood Partnership Instrument (ENPI) serving as a more flexible source of funding for building and promoting democracy from 2007-2013;

- Underlines the willingness of Member States and the institutions of the EU to promote shared democratic values between the people of the EU and Belarus by intensifying people-to-people contacts and by strengthening good neighbourly relations across borders (e.g. through student and scientific exchanges, scholarships, youth travel, contacts between small- and medium-sized enterprises , training local authority officials, etc.).

- Reaffirms its policy on limited ministerial contact agreed on 22-23 November 2004 but highlights its willingness to engage with Belarusian officials;

- Welcomes the decision of the Secretary General/High Representative to nominate, for his part, a point of contact under his authority on Belarus; and his decision to send his Personal Representative for Human Rights to Belarus before the end of the year to engage with civil society and to express EU concerns to President Lukashenko's Government;

- Welcomes the Commission's decision to open a regionalised delegation in Minsk by the end of the year;

- States its willingness to maintain and intensify engagement, cooperation and coordination with international partners in order to promote democratisation in Belarus.