Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 February 2024
7. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if further sanctions were discussed at the most recent EU Foreign Affairs Council Meeting to be applied on Belarus due to its involvement in the war with Ukraine. [9535/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn response to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, the EU has adopted a wide range of sanctions targeting both Russia and Belarus. These are the most expansive and hard-hitting sanctions in EU history, with over 2,000 individuals and entities now subject to EU restrictive measures.
The current measures targeting Belarus build on the restrictive measures first introduced by the EU following the presidential elections in Belarus in August 2020 and the crackdown on peaceful protesters, democratic opposition and journalists that followed. The measures against Belarus in large part mirror the restrictions introduced against Russia, following its invasion of Ukraine. Restrictions have been placed on trade between the EU and Belarus, and on exports to Belarus of dual-use goods and technology. A range of measures have been introduced targeting the Belarusian financial sector and asset freezes and travel bans have been placed against Belarusian military personnel, state officials, members of the judiciary, and businesspeople.
At the February Foreign Affairs Council, discussions among Member States focused on the importance of reaching agreement on the latest package of sanctions to coincide with the two-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine this February. On 23 February 2024, Ireland welcomed the adoption of the EU’s 13th sanctions package against Russia. This package includes the listing of almost 200 new individuals and entities, including several Belarusian companies and individuals providing support to the Russian armed forces. The new listings also include 15 individuals and 2 entities involved in the forced transfer and in the deportation and the military indoctrination of Ukrainian children, including in Belarus. These most recent measures build upon the restrictive measures against Belarus introduced in August 2023 in response to Belarus’s ongoing involvement in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. They targeted a number of goods and technologies that could contribute to Belarus’ military and technological enhancement and imposed further export bans on firearms, ammunition and aerospace goods and technology.
Ireland continues to support strong coordinated EU sanctions, and other measures including action at the UN, to hold Belarus accountable for its violations of human rights and the rule of law, and its complicity in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The possibility of adopting further sanctions against Belarus at EU level remains under continual review.
