The EC Council is to Hold an Emergency Video Summit on Belarus

The people of Belarus have the right to determine their own future Charles Michel, President of the European Council, said. He called the violence against the demonstrators unacceptable. Against the background of mass protests in Belarus, the President of the European Union Council, Charles Michel announced an extraordinary video EU summit holding on the situation in Belarus on Wednesday, August 19. “The people of Belarus have the right to determine their future and freely choose their leader. Violence against protesters is unacceptable and inadmissible,” Michel wrote on his Twitter microblog on Monday, August 17. He specified that the EU video summit in Belarus is scheduled for 12 noon CET (13:00 Moscow time). Help and sanctions The leaders of the EU countries will discuss what additional assistance they can provide to Belarus. As possible options, establishing a fund to help victims of repression in Belarus, financing projects to support media pluralism in this country, advising on reform of law enforcement agencies, expanding student exchange, and facilitating access for Belarusians to the EU labor market are being discussed. Earlier it was reported that the European Union launched the process of introducing sanctions against Belarusian officials accused of falsifying the results of the presidential elections in Belarus and involving brutal suppression of protests in this country. At the same time, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Baltic States and Denmark called on the EU to act as a mediator between President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and the opposition.