European UnionProhibits Flights by Belarusian Airlines
After the European Union (EU) Council's decision, European airspace and airports are now off-limits for Belarusian airlines, as reported by RIA Novosti. The ban took effect at midnight on Saturday.
EU Council President Charles Michel bluntly asserted that any aircraft belonging to Belarusian airlines are prohibited from landing, taking off, or flying above the EU territories.
However, it's essential to note that the flight ban doesn't cover humanitarian missions, nor does it apply to emergency landings and overflights. This exception aims to ensure that critical aid can still reach those in need.
The ban marks the first official EU measure in response to the May 23 incident involving Ryanair Flight 4978. In this incident, the Belarusian authorities forced a Ryanair plane to land in Minsk.
Following the incident, Michel announced that personal sanctions against physical and legal entities in Belarus will be enforced soon. These restrictions could be approved as soon as next week. Furthermore, Belarus may face sector-specific economic sanctions down the line.
These decisions were made at the heads of state and government meeting in Brussels following a discussion on Belarus on May 24.
Since the incident, the EU has imposed a series of sanctions on Belarus, starting with travel bans and asset freezes on key figures involved in the repression of civil society and opposition. These actions were in response to the forced landing of the Ryanair flight and the detention of opposition journalist Roman Protasevich. Over time, these sanctions have been extended to include additional individuals implicated in human rights abuses and political repression in Belarus.
In addition to these personal sanctions, the EU has targeted sectors critical to the Belarusian economy, such as tobacco, potash, and oil products, by restricting exports from these sectors to the EU. Further economic sanctions were introduced in August, targeting key sectors like logging, dual-use goods, and access to international financial markets. These measures continue to be strengthened, with restrictions on trade in goods used for repression and further limits on bilateral trade in critical sectors.
The EU's actions against Belarus have been part of a broader international condemnation of the country's activities under President Lukashenko, particularly after the Ryanair incident. This incident is widely regarded as a state-sponsored aviation hijacking.
- The EU ban on Belarusian airlines' flights doesn't encompass humanitarian missions or emergency landings and overflights, ensuring that crucial aid can still be delivered.
- The flight ban is the first official EU measure in response to the May 23 incident involving Ryanair Flight 4978, where the Belarusian authorities forced a Ryanair plane to land in Minsk.
- In addition to personal sanctions against key figures involved in the repression of civil society and opposition, the EU has targeted sectors critical to Belarus' economy, like tobacco, potash, and oil products.
- The general news has been reporting on the EU's various sanctions against Belarus, including restrictions on exports from critical sectors, sector-specific economic sanctions, and limitations on bilateral trade in key sectors, as a part of an international condemnation of the country's activities under President Lukashenko.
