We present a collection of articles “Civil society in Belarus 2015-2021: from stable development to new challenges”.

After the abolition of the sanctions, the EU and Minsk will further expect from each other for the steps that no one is going to take. The situation in the country will not change; only the third force can affect it. If the Belarusan civil society doesn’t become this third force, then Russia will become it.

Strategic Europe continues the second phase of its Capitals Series exploring how EU foreign policy is viewed by six countries in Europe’s Eastern neighborhood. Carnegie Europe asked contributors from each capital to give a candid assessment of the EU’s policies toward their country, with a ranking on a scale from “miserable” to “excellent.” The spotlight is on Belarus.

In order to join the Bologna process in practice, Belarus needs institutional structural changes.

The release of political prisoners will result in improvement of Belarus’ relations with the EU and the US, but not in recognition of elections and their winner.

Andrei Yahorau, co-chairs of the Steering Committee of the EaP CSF, country facilitator for Belarus of the EaP CSF, and the Director of the Center for European Transformation, spoke at 5th EaP Informal Ministerial Dialogue in Minsk. We present the text of his speech.

From the beginning of the year, Belarus has been visited by so many formal and informal European guests, to name politicians, diplomats, government officials, experts, representatives of international organizations, that the enumeration of names and positions will take more than one page. However, the effect of this diplomatic pilgrimage vanishes.

On May 29, 2014, the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia signed an agreement on the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union. It seems to be a significant event, but the story of integration initiatives in the post-Soviet space is so messy that it’s not easy to understand the how and why of things. Though, in the case our unchallenged helmsman has “entered” Belarus in this new interstate association, it wouldn’t be bad to understand what has this action meant and what it has threatened with our country and all of us, as well.