Will Belarusians not be left alone with Putin and what is the European Union ready to help with? Interview with the European Commissioner
Todayit became knownthat the European Union will provide 30 million euros «to support the Belarusian people» in 2026. European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Koos told in an interview how the decision on the amount of aid is made, how Belarus is perceived in Europe now, whether the European Union is ready to make concessions on sanctions, and what Belarusians can expect from Europe.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Koos. Photo: AP Photo / Geert Vanden Wijngaert
Marta Koos explained how the decision on the amount of aid to allocate is made. This is influenced by how much money the European Union has and what needs Belarusians have.
«We have a special budget to assist civil society organizations in EU candidate countries plus other countries that are in my portfolio from the Eastern Partnership — meaning Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan…» — noted the Commissioner.
Aid for Belarusians includes support for democratic forces, human rights defenders, media, former political prisoners, student programs, and relocated businesses.
Are Belarusian officials seeking to resume closed EU programs?
«No,» replies Marta Koos. «They are not seeking, but even if they were, it would be a clear 'no.' We do not want to support an autocratic regime that imprisons its own people. We do not support governments that do not comply with basic democratic rules.
(…) And this is happening not only in Belarus but also in Georgia, where, after the retreat from democracy began, we immediately stopped the 120 million aid that we allocated for Georgian government projects, so they do not receive a single euro from us. And they will not receive it until they become democratic.»
Marta Koos also answered whether the EU is ready to make concessions on sanctions regarding Belarus, as the USA is currently doing.
«At this moment — no. As you know, there are member states that make decisions on sanctions. I think sanctions are good because we push the authorities [of Belarus] to rethink and reconsider returning to a democratic path. (…) There have been no changes from the Lukashenka regime, and at this moment, I do not see any possibility of lifting any sanctions.»
Last year, Belarusians were issued 157,000 short-term Schengen visas. Is it possible to increase this number? Before the pandemic, Belarusians were issued about 700,000 visas per year.
«This depends on the EU member states where you apply for visas. Of course, I can understand that it is very important for your people to have the opportunity to leave. We support any exchange of people living in Belarus under very difficult conditions.»
Marta Koos expressed hope that the authoritarian regime in Belarus would fall as unexpectedly as the Berlin Wall once did. She mentioned that in the past, people also could not imagine the collapse of the Soviet Union or Yugoslavia.
«You cannot suppress your people in the long term. There is a decisive moment when history takes a different direction. And I hope that this will happen soon for your country too.»
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Marta Koos. Photo: Tsikhanouskaya's Office
How is Belarus perceived in Europe now, what has changed?
«The entire geopolitics has changed since 2020, with the falsified elections. And at that time, it was, I would say, only Belarus (…). But then with the war in Ukraine, the awareness of the harm that autocratic regimes can inflict upon us grew stronger and stronger. And this is also evident in the latest adopted strategy of the European Union: how to protect democracies not only in member states but also in the neighborhood. For example, also in candidate countries. (…)
If I had been asked 10‑15 years ago if Europe would need any special program to protect our democracy, I would have said 'no.' If I had been asked 10‑15 years ago if we needed a media resilience plan — I'm talking about European media — I would have said 'absolutely not.' But now we are in a different situation.»
The Commissioner noted that we live at the collision of two ideologies.
«The EU helps Belarus, as well as candidate countries, because we want them to have strong economies, to be democratic, to uphold the rule of law, and so on. And we also fund independent media and civil society organizations.
What Putin does is the opposite. Why? Putin does not want to see countries with strong economies. He does not want to see democratic countries. He does not want to see countries with free media and civil society organizations, because if that were the case, he would not be able to control them.
The war in Ukraine did not begin only with weapons in 2022. But the conflict began in 2014, when Ukraine actually wanted to go the European way with a deep and comprehensive free trade area. The conflict began when Putin could no longer control the Ukrainian regime.»
The Commissioner recalls attending a Belarusian cultural evening a year ago. She admits that she got goosebumps from the national songs.
«That [was the moment] when I thought: you cannot destroy Belarusians. You cannot destroy Belarusian culture.»
«It takes immense courage to stand up against a brutal dictator,» Marta Koos continues. «And Lukashenka is one. And you are doing it. You can be sure that the European Union will support you in the future.»
Is there no threat that, due to Lukashenka's increasing rapprochement with the Kremlin, the EU might stop supporting Belarus?
«No. Here I would clearly differentiate between support for the people, media, non-governmental organizations, or businesses outside of Belarus, and support for the regime. The first kind of support will never stop. And we would also gladly support a new government — if it were pro-European.»
Marta Koos notes that the perception of the threat from Putin varies in European countries.
«For example, when we ask Europeans — 80% of Europeans expect the European Union to take care of security. When we ask, 'Should we arm ourselves more?' — the results vary. They are still very high in the Baltic countries, in the Nordic countries, in Poland. When we go to my Slovenia or further to Portugal or Spain, they would say: 'Of course, security is important, but no. We don't need to arm ourselves.'»
I'll speak from my own experience. I grew up during «Make love, not war,» «Flower Power» times. (…) This was a generation [that said]: «No, we don't want weapons!»
Now I spoke with Commissioner [Andrius] Kubilius, who comes from Lithuania. And I said: «You know, when you talk about a rearmament program — it's difficult for me to accept.» But then he said: «Marta, I can understand you — you didn't live in the Soviet Union.»
Now, the Commissioner emphasizes, the EU must take care of its own security.
«I think that from a historical perspective, it is only today — after the war in Ukraine began — that we understand what started to happen in Belarus in 2020.»
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