The European Union has recently imposed economic sanctions on Belarus, as reported by Meduza. These sanctions aim to limit Belarus’ ability to strengthen its economy and industrial capabilities.
The EU has restricted the export of goods and technologies for maritime navigation, luxury goods, and items that could bolster the country’s industrial capabilities. Additionally, the EU has extended the ban on dual-use goods and prohibited the import of gold, diamonds, helium, coal, and mineral products from Belarus.
Furthermore, the EU has limited the export of goods and technologies used in oil and LNG refining to Belarus. Services to the Belarusian government and state bodies are now prohibited. The EU Council has expanded restrictions on road transport using trailers and semi-trailers registered in Belarus, and exporters are now required to include clauses in contracts to prevent re-export of certain items to Belarus.
To prevent circumvention of sanctions, the EU has banned transit of dual-use goods through Belarusian territory and introduced mechanisms for verifying goods that could be used in defense sector. These measures are aimed at curbing re-export risk to Russia. In addition to sanctions against Belarus, the EU has approved a new set of sanctions against Russia in response to ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
These actions taken by the EU demonstrate its commitment towards promoting democracy, human rights and peace in Europe.