Monica Aggarwal

The European Union on Monday agreed to imposed sanctions on Belarus President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko and other government officials over repression of the protesters and alleged rigging of the presidential elections of August 9.

While the proposed sanctions will first go through legal vetting before coming into force, Lukashenko can avoid them by agreeing to hold talks with the opposition for fresh elections and easing the crackdown on protesters.

This development has come in the aftermath of violent clashes in Belarus on Sunday between the police and protesters which led to the police using water cannons and stun grenades at protests. More than 700 protesters were arrested by the police after the violent crackdown.

In line with the E.U.’s gradual approach, the E.U. stands ready to take further restrictive measures, including against entities and high-ranking officials, including A. Lukashenko

EU Foreign Ministers

Taking account of the incident, EU foreign ministers met in Luxembourg on Monday and agreed on taking “restrictive measures” against Belarusian President Lukashenko and other high-ranking officials.

“In line with the E.U.’s gradual approach, the E.U. stands ready to take further restrictive measures, including against entities and high-ranking officials, including A. Lukashenko,’’ EU foreign ministers said in a statement.

Earlier this month, EU officials imposed travel bans and asset freezes on 40 Belarusian officials who were accused of rigging the election in August that led to Lukashenko coming back to power in the country.

In addition, the EU ministers also agreed to scale back the financial support of the bloc to the government of Belarus and redirect those funds to assist civil society groups in the country. Furthermore, the European Investment Bank (EIB) is also seeking to review its operations in Belarus.

In the statement, EU ministers also condemned the police violence against protesters, calling for officials to implement peaceful measures to end the crisis through talks with the opposition and agreeing to holding new elections.

While the EU had imposed sanctions on Lukashenko in the past, they were lifted in 2016 after he released his critics from prison and eased actions on the opposition. In wake of the ongoing political crisis in Belarus after the presidential elections, the US, the UK, Canada and the Baltic nations have imposed sanctions on the country in recent weeks.

Last month, the European Union had said that “Alexander Lukashenko is not the legitimate President of Belarus,” adding that his abrupt swearing-in ceremony directly contradicts the will of the people in the country.

Separately, during the meeting on Monday, the EU foreign ministers also agreed to impose targeted sanctions on Russian officials and organizations for their alleged involvement in the poisoning of Russian opposition leader and nerve agent Alexei Navalny. However, details related to which Russian officials will be facing the penalties and when those measures will come into forces have yet not been revealed by EU officials.

From Scotland to Spain, European countries are witnessing an unprecedented surge in Coronavirus cases in recent days, forcing the governments to reinstate restrictions to control the spread of the disease. Fresh infections across Europe are threatening the hopes of the member states for a quick post-pandemic recovery.

While the European Union was aiming to lead the world in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, analysts have contended that the bloc has not been able to live up to its promises. After almost seven months since the Coronavirus outbreak hit the EU, the 27-nations bloc has only had a few positive results to show the world. It took weeks of negotiations for the bloc to agree on a €1.8-trillion budget and recovery package that will assist in countering the repercussions of the pandemic. According to the agreement, the European Commission will be borrowing €750 billion on international markets and allocate the aid to the member states to support their recovery process.

A surge in Coronavirus cases has also escalated the search for an effective vaccine against the disease in the European Union. However, at a time when the European Commission is seeking to set up an inclusive international buyers’ group for the bloc to procurement of potential COVID-19 vaccines, a number of member states have already signed up deals with vaccine manufactures for their countries respectively. Significantly, EU’s collective plan will require member states to pool in necessary resources for jointly developing effective vaccines to combat the disease which can lead to duplication of work of vaccine manufacturers.

Earlier in July, the European Commission entered a deal with Sanofi and GSK (the two have collaborated to develop a potential vaccine) for 300 million doses which will be available for all 27-member countries to purchase. Reportedly, the EU’s announcement came on the same day the US government stated that it will be investing up to $2.1 billion in Sanofi and GSK for the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.

On the other hand, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands signed a deal with AstraZeneca for 400 million doses of the vaccine in mid-June. Later after discussions, the four-nation deal was merged with European Commission’s efforts to procure the vaccine for all 27 members. Last month, European leaders openly clashed during negotiations over the allocation of the €1.8tn budget and recovery package for the bloc. The leaders engaged in intense debates over the size of the recovery fund for countries that have been worst affected by the pandemic consequences and the seven-year multi-financial framework.

For more than seven decades, the United States and the European Union have shared stable relations in the world order eve after disagreements certain fronts. However, it appears like both sides of the Atlantic are rethinking their relations due to a mix of internal and external forces, particularly, in the aftermath of the Coronavirus outbreak.

According to analysts, diplomatic and transatlantic relations between the US and the EU have significantly eroded after Donald Trump’s presidency. US President Trump has on several occasions attacked the bloc, ridiculing America’s relations with the EU in the geopolitical discourse.

Evidence have shown that after Washington has stopped interfering in European affairs, the 27-member bloc has also been actively working on gaining more autonomy from one of the world’s biggest economies. With the US and China are distancing themselves amid the ongoing trade clashes, the EU is also reassessing Sino-European relations. Notedly, Brussels is pondering on enhancing its economic and strategic partnership with China in a bid to curtail its reliance on the United States.

From the Paris Climate Accord to the Iran nuclear deal, the US and EU have locked horns on several issues. As per reports, tensions have escalated within the US-EU-NATO geopolitical triangle. Trump’s attacks on European NATO members through trade policies have also pushed the European Union into establishing a stronger autonomy in areas of security and defence to counter America.

Earlier in July, the EU declined to welcome American travellers into the bloc as it reopened its external borders to 15 countries in the post-pandemic recovery process. On the contrary, the EU’s list of safe countries where European citizens were allowed to travel to included China among other countries.

America’s response against the Coronavirus pandemic has appeared to be largely different from the European Union. When the US is still fighting the continuous surge in the number of positive cases, Europe is working on reopening its economy after reporting a decline in infections. On one hand, Europe has intensified its efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine for the entire mankind, Washington is eyeing to monopolize use of the vaccine across the world. It is understandable that relations and interests between both sides are rapidly changing with time. But, it is important for both – EU and US –  to coordinate their efforts against global threats in the current situation.

The European Union is working on a green economic recovery in the post-pandemic process. Recently, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that Europe’s recovery will be green, adding that the new EU budget will power the European green deal and accelerate the digitalisation of the bloc’s economy. Significantly, European leaders have been stressing on the importance of climate action and green recovery in the upcoming seven-year budget of the bloc.

I thank the European Parliament for voting constructively to make #NextGenerationEU a reality. We share the same goal: save Europeans’ jobs, protect the EU budget, power the #EUGreenDeal and make Europe digital and resilient.
No time to waste. Our citizens expect us to deliver. pic.twitter.com/fuISJqHfry

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 23, 2020

Earlier this week, EU leaders met at a special meeting of European Councils in Brussels. After hours of negotiations, the leaders agreed on a deal committing 30% share of the mammoth €1.074 trillion 2021-2027 EU budget and a €750 billion COVID-19 recovery fund towards climate projects. According to media reports, the European governments have approved a historic climate change plan, agreeing to invest $572 billion into various initiatives to support environmental development in areas like renewable energy and agriculture.

In addition, the European leaders agreed on a “do no harm” principle which states that no funding will go to any project that would cause harm to the climate or environment in the midst of the EU’s goal to become climate neutral continent by 2050.

With the increasing necessity to address the climate crisis, the issue is significantly gaining political attention. Evidently, European lawmakers are acknowledging the commitments to climate action and environmental protection, therefore allocating substantial funds from the EU budget to address the crisis. Notedly, the European Parliament has also worked on strengthening the allocation of funds to ensure the fulfillment of the EU’s goal for climate neutrality. Interestingly, how effective the green recovery plan will end up depends crucially on the member states and their respective recovery plans. Members states are required to submit their plans and investment agendas until 2024 to the Commission by October 2020. One of the criteria against which the Commission will assess their plans is whether they consist of measures for green and digital recovery. At the same time, member states can choose to go beyond the minimum 30% climate spend and give priority to measures that facilitate a more green and resilient economy. For instance, Germany’s post-pandemic recovery plan is among the greenest so far. The country is allocating about a third of its recovery budget of 130 billion euros ($145 billion) into developments of public transport and green hydrogen.