Office for a Democratic Belarus: where Belarus and Brussels meet.

European Intercultural Festival Kicks off in Minsk

A range of events under the European Intercultural Festival aimed at promoting knowledge about the EU and the Eastern Partnership countries started with the German Language class organised by the Youth Education Centre FIALTA, one of the partners of the European Intercultural Festival in Minsk.

Three volunteers from Germany Thomas Bergmann, Victor Moster, and Elise Schmitt guided regular guests of the organisation as well as newcomers, through basic rules of communication in German.

According to Victor Moster, students enjoyed different games, songs and even a quiz during the class. All takes were related to the European topic of the festival.

The beginners’ group left Fialta after 90 interesting minutes with some basic knowledge of the German language. Greeting someone in German or asking for his name or age should now not be a problem, Victor believes.

Organisers: Office for a Democratic Belarus (Brussels), Office for European Expertise and Communication (Minsk), BISS (Vilnius), Youth Educational Centre Filata (Minsk).

Partners: Liberal club (Minsk), Centre “Third sector” (Hrodna), “Democratic Forum” (Homel), portal “New Europe” (Minsk), Office for Advancement of Initiatives (Minsk), Belarusian NGO “New Faces” (Minsk).

Information partner: tut.by

Information Ministry re-Registers Intellectual Magazine Arche

24 May 2013 - 14:08

Naviny.by

The information ministry has granted an application for the re-registration of the Belarusian-language intellectual magazine Arche.

In a reply to the applicant, Information Minister Aleh Pralyaskowski says that the magazine was re-registered on May 22, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists.

Belarus Government Advised to Deal With Overstocking Problem

23 May 2013 - 17:23

BelTA

The Belarus government should deal with the problem of the extensive finished goods inventory by using various instruments. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko issued the instruction to Prime Minister of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich on 23 May, the press service of the head of state told BelTA.

The meeting touched upon a set of matters concerning the social and economic development of the country. Unsold merchandise and overstocked warehouses of Belarusian manufacturers were discussed.

Three Opposition Organizations Set to Hold “People’s Referendum”

22 May 2013 - 14:55

Naviny.by

The “Tell the Truth!” movement, the Movement for Freedom and the Belarusian Popular Front have announced an intention to hold a “people’s referendum.”

The referendum questions are expected to be formulated by the next local elections, which should be held no later than March 2014, Yury Hubarevich, deputy chairman of the “Movement for Freedom,” told reporters in Minsk on Monday.

Education Minister Expresses Concern Over Student Mobility Programs

17 May 2013 - 18:24

Naviny.by

There are both upsides and downsides of Belarus' involvement in student mobility programs in the framework of the Bologna Process, Education Minister Syarhey Maskevich said while replying to questions from members of the House of Representatives on May 17.

The main disadvantage of such programs is that they contribute to brain drain, he said.

Authorities Set to Ban Smoking in Indoor Public Places

17 May 2013 - 14:04

Naviny.by

The Belarusian authorities plan to introduce a bill that would ban smoking in almost all indoor public places, Volha Bartman, a departmental head at the National Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Public Health, told reporters in Minsk on Thursday.

According to Ms. Bartman, an anti-smoking council under the aegis of the Council of Ministers, at its meeting in April, suggested that such a bill should be enacted in 2014.

International news on Belarus

Belarusian-Chinese Cars on Sale in Russia in June

23 May 2013 - 16:38

BelTA

Belarusian-Chinese cars Geely will be put on sale in Russia in June, head of the sales and service division at BelGee Alexei Krichmar told reporters answering a question of a BelTA journalist on 23 May.

He informed that the cars will be sold via the Geely retail network in Russia.

European Parliament's Rapporteur Recommends Suspension of Travel Bans Against Belarusian Officials

22 May 2013 - 14:58

Naviny.by

Justas Paleckis, the European Parliament's rapporteur on Belarus, has recommended the suspension of the visa ban against key Belarusian officials, BelaPAN said.

In his draft report, which is expected to be debated by the European Parliament this fall, Mr. Paleckis says that the sanctions should be suspended “with a view to broadening the main and essential diplomatic communication channel with Belarus, also in view of the Eastern Partnership summit [to be held in Vilnius in November].”

Foreign Minister Makey Invited to Eastern Partnership Meeting in Krakow

17 May 2013 - 11:58

Naviny.by

Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makey has been invited to a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Visegrad Group and Eastern Partnership participating countries that will take place in Krakow, Poland, on May 17.

Serbia Looking at Belarus for Revival of Steelmill

16 May 2013 - 14:20

Businessweek

Serbia hopes Belarus will save its unprofitable steel plant in Smederevo and “a solution” may be negotiated soon, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said.

The government “has discussed Zelezara Smederevo” with Belarus Deputy Premier Pyotr Prokopovich and “we are hoping that we will be able to resolve that problem in the very near future,” Vucic told reporters in Belgrade today after meeting his Belarus counterpart. He did not disclose any other detail.

Kyrgyz Deputy Foreign Minister Notes Progress in Bakiyev Extradition Talks

16 May 2013 - 14:08

Naviny.by

The process of securing the extradition of former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and his brother Zhanybek Bakiyev is moving forward, Kyrgyz Deputy Foreign Minister Askar Beshimov told reporters on Wednesday.

Talks on Kyrgyzstan’s extradition request are currently under way, he said. In response to Belarus’ refusal to send Kurmanbek Bakiyev back to his home country, Kyrgyzstan recalled its ambassador from Belarus and is now represented by its charge d’affaires, he noted.

Policy Briefs

Four Western Myths about Belarusian Higher Education

13 May 2013 - 13:09

Belarusdigest

The Minister of Education Syarhei Maskevich announced on 3 May 2013 that "Belarusian universities enjoy a high level of autonomy". Considering the fact that Belarus remains the only European state outside of Bologna process precisely because of its lack of academic freedoms, top Belarusian officials may not be completely honest.

BISS-Timeline №4 (April 2013)

8 May 2013 - 12:18

BISS

The landmark foreign policy events this April included the visit by Kazakhstan Prime Minister S. Akhmetov to Minsk, acquisition of a part of a seaport terminal in Klaipeda, which could be regarded as a sort of guarantee of the continuous transit of Belarusian commodities via the Lithuanian port, and the ongoing efforts of Belarusian diplomats in the Western front amid contradictions manifested in Belarusian-Russian relations. Overstocks remain a significant problem: in early March 2013, inventories were at 75.2% of the monthly output, whereas in April, the figure went up to 79.7%. As of 1 April, inventories were worth a total of 32.3 trillion Belarusian rubles, more than a quarter of the absolute amount of the country’s GDP recorded in January-March 2013. The main “contributors” to the inventories are processing companies. Although A. Lukashenka made it clear in his annual address to the nation and the parliament this April that inventories needed to be cut down, there is no mechanism to deal with overstocks. Moreover, inventories will likely further increase in case of anticipated drops in oil prices and weaker demand in the Russian market, the largest consumer of Belarusian products.

Painful Lessons of Eurasian Integration

6 May 2013 - 10:57

belarusdigest.com

On 25 April 2013 Tatsiana Matoryna, Director of Brest Stocking Plant — one of the largest apparel industry companies in the former Soviet Union— blamed sharp decrease in the plant’s sales on Belarus’ economic integration with Russia and Kazakhstan. The accusation has serious grounds: in 2013, sales volumes of the plant decreased by about 30% compared to the same period in 2012. The main reason for this and similar sales drops is competition in which Belarusian goods often lose. For years, tariffs and non-tariff barriers to trade helped Belarusian businesses avoid unwanted competitors on the domestic market. However, the country’s accession to the Customs Union with Russia and Kazakhstan, and Russia’s subsequent accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) deprived Belarusian plants of the usual state protection.

Belarus Wants New Russian Fighter Jets But Without Russian Pilots

3 May 2013 - 13:19

Belarus Digest

By Siarhei Bohdan

Last week, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu discussed with Alexander Lukashenka establishment of a Russian air force base in Belarus. A few days later, Lukashenka dismissed the claims that Russia will have a military base in Belarus. The news came as media of neighbouring countries continue to discuss the significance of Belarus-Russian military drill West-2013 (Zapad-2013) scheduled for autumn. Belarusian and Russian officials insist that theWest-2013 drill does not threaten anyone, and remind that last year NATO conducted a dozen of drills of different scales in neighbouring countries. Despite various speculations in Belarusian and Western media, little evidence exists to support that is Belarus threatening anyone military, together with Russia or on its own.

EU Should Keep Belarus in Its Orbit

2 May 2013 - 11:32

Belarus Digest

By Ruhor Astapenia

Last week Belarus Digest published an article about the problems of technical assistance to Belarus. The current piece recommends possible solutions to those problems.
In the first place the EU should send a clear message to the Belarusian authorities that Belarus will be able to get more out if the regime decentralises and simplifies its system. This will encourage other actors to participate more actively in European programmes. The European Union should elaborate a “road map” for the future and outline priorities of cooperation together with the Belarusian authorities. Also, the EU representatives in Belarus try to work with Belarusian authorities at the local level as much as possible. The EU should also increase its cooperation with the Belarusian independent community of experts. As the level of the Belarusian public administration remains quite low, EU input can provide the most important ideas for the modernisation of the country.

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Announcements

15 May 2013

Berlin, 08. to 16. June 2013
Cultures of Remembrance – what can be learned from Germany, in Berlin?

Berlin is not simply the present day capital of Germany. Berlin was the political center of two dictatorships in Germany in the 20th century: the fascist dictatorship of the Nazis, which with its devastating ideology almost brought the whole European continent to the brink of destruction; and the German socialist / communist dictatorship, which even in the second half of the 1980ies wanted to be “better” socialistic than its big brother, the Soviet Union.

Germany (West) after the second world war and the united Germany after 1989 developed a serious and indepth culture of remembrance, which of course can and should be further developed and strengthened, but which in relation to other countries can well serve as a solid basis for keeping sensitive towards the catastrophic consequences of these dictatorships. Berlin is home to many elements of the German “mechanism of remembrance”.

20 May 2013

A photographic competition is being held in Belarus as a part of the country’s first European Intercultural Festival 2013. The theme of the competition is “European neighbourhood” which aims to spark interest towards Europe and Belarus and demonstrate to what extent European values have been adopted in Belarus, as well as to examine the meaning of “European neighbourhood” for ordinary Belarusians. The price for the winner is a two-week trip to Brussels and the first and second runner ups will also receive memorable prices. The works of the finalists will be displayed in an online exhibition on the websites of our partners and in the case of a large amount of high-quality entries, a photo exhibition will be organised in Minsk.

20 May 2013

European Intercultural Festival: Competition on EU-Belarus Policy Proposals Has Started

As a part of the European Intercultural Festival 2013, Office for a Democratic Belarus with its partners organises a competition for proposals on how to improve cooperation between the European Union and Belarus. The organisers hope to collect concrete proposals from the Belarusian public on the best ways to develop EU-Belarus relations in the future. The best proposals will be published and handed over to experts working on EU projects for possible realisation. The finalists will be chosen by an international jury consisting of representatives of organising institutions and leading international research centres on European politics. The winner will receive an electronic book reader and the first and second runner ups will also be awarded memorable prices.

20 May 2013

As a part of the first annual European Intercultural Festival 2013, Office for a Democratic Belarus is organising a drawing contest for Belarusian children aged 6-12 with the theme “Colourful Europe”. The organisers want to encourage the Belarusian youth to share their experiences and perceptions of Europe and learn more about the culture and history of the EU member states and other states participating in the Eastern Partnership Initiative. The competition is organised in partnership with the Youth Entrepreneurship Support and Development Center. The European Intercultural Festival 2013 is being held in Minsk and other Belarusian cities on May 20-26.