Monday

5th Jun 2023

Cyprus leaves EU ministers red-faced on Belarus

  • EU ministers to meet after sixth weekend of violent arrests in Belarus (Photo: Natalia Rak/Flickr)

EU foreign ministers will have nothing to show Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya when they meet her in Brussels on Monday (21 September), as Cyprus continues to block sanctions.

Tikhanovskaya is to have breakfast with the bloc's 27 top diplomats, before they leave her to hold formal deliberations in the EU Council.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

The formal EU talks will see ministers discuss the crisis in Belarus, where regime goons beat and jailed hundreds of pro-democracy protesters for the sixth weekend in a row.

They will discuss recent Turkish incursions into Cypriot and Greek-claimed waters.

They will also discuss EU-Russia relations in the light of Russia's alleged poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the Libya civil war, EU-China ties, EU-Africa Union relations, and how the EU speaks out in multilateral forums.

But they will decide nothing, except, perhaps, to sanction a handful of Libyans for arms smuggling, diplomatic sources said.

EU officials had earlier drawn up a list of some 40 Belarusian names to hit with visa-bans and asset-freezes on Monday.

But Cyprus is vetoing the move until the EU agrees to also punish Turkey.

An 11th-hour meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels on Friday evening failed to break the deadlock.

And by Sunday, diplomats admitted it would be too late for the foreign ministers to do anything about it.

"It will have to be decided at the summit," one EU contact told EUobserver on Sunday, referring to an EU leaders' meeting due on Thursday and Friday.

"Procedure-wise, [the Belarus sanctions decision is] most likely for the summit," a second EU source said.

Cyprus has struggled to get its way on Turkey sanctions because several states, led by Germany, believe in a more delicate approach amid concern over a potential military clash in the eastern Mediterranean.

The Cypriot veto is not the first time a lone EU state has held the rest hostage over national interests.

Back in 2006, for instance, Italy held up EU sanctions on Belarus because it wanted backing for anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese shoe imports.

More recently, Hungary has tried to quash all EU criticism of Israel in order to curry favour with Tel Aviv.

The Belarus deadlock has redoubled talk of replacing unanimity with majority-voting in EU foreign policy-making.

But some EU capitals remain wary of the change.

"If the EU tries to do foreign policy while ignoring the vital concerns of smaller countries, it will lead to a dangerous build-up of alienation and resentment in the long term," a diplomat from a small member state said.

Decision-making protocols aside, the EU also faces other complications on sanctions.

It is planning to blacklist Navalny's alleged poisoners using special anti-chemical weapons measures.

But the evidence on which such sanctions are based might need to be made public, meaning that they cannot be based on sensitive intelligence.

"We're looking at various options, but we can't base it on five-eye intelligence," an EU source said, referring to the Western club of five intelligence-sharing states - Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and US.

"So, for the time being, all we can do is say how frightening Russia's behaviour has become," the source added.

Meanwhile, Belarus and Russia, over the weekend, criticised Tikhanovskaya's invitation to Brussels as Western "interference" in Belarus' internal affairs.

The Belarusian foreign minister also threatened counter-sanctions against the EU, including expulsion of foreign media from his country, if the bloc ever imposed its blacklist in the end.

Cyprus blocking EU sanctions on Belarus

Cyprus is holding hostage EU sanctions on Belarus in return for a new Turkey blacklist, EU sources said, as Greek and Turkish ministers traded harsh words in the EU parliament.

Belarus opposition leader urges EU to be 'braver'

The Belarus oppositon leader asked the EU not to support the Belarus authorities financially, and not to recognise Lukashenko as the country's president when his term ends in November.

Exclusive

'Big Three' EP groups nominate homophobe for Sakharov prize

The centre-right EPP, centre-left S&D, and liberal Renew Europe have all nominated a homophobe for the Sakharov prize - the prestigious annual prize handed out by the European Parliament to people who defend human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Opinion

Now's the time to give QMV a chance in EU foreign policy

The loudest applause from MEPs during Ursula von der Leyen's State of the Union speech came for her call to move to Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) in foreign policy - at least on human rights and sanctions implementation.

Opinion

How the EU's money for waste went to waste in Lebanon

The EU led support for the waste management crisis in Lebanon, spending around €89m between 2004-2017, with at least €30m spent on 16 solid-waste management facilities. However, it failed to deliver.

Latest News

  1. Subcontracting rules allow firms to bypass EU labour rights
  2. Asylum and SLAPP positions in focus This WEEK
  3. Spanish PM to delay EU presidency speech due to snap election
  4. EU data protection chief launches Frontex investigation
  5. Madrid steps up bid to host EU anti-money laundering hub
  6. How EU leaders should deal with Chinese government repression
  7. MEPs pile on pressure for EU to delay Hungary's presidency
  8. IEA: World 'comfortably' on track for renewables target

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  2. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  3. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics
  6. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. InformaConnecting Expert Industry-Leaders, Top Suppliers, and Inquiring Buyers all in one space - visit Battery Show Europe.
  2. EFBWWEFBWW and FIEC do not agree to any exemptions to mandatory prior notifications in construction
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: The Nordics are ready to push for gender equality

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us