Visit of European Parliament Fact-finding Delegation to Belarus, 25-27 February 2010

26/02/2010

The ad-hoc fact-finding delegation of the European Parliament arrived in Minsk Thursday 25 February. The delegation is composed of 4 Members of the European Parliament. It is chaired by Mr Kristian Vigenin (S&D, Bulgaria), Chair of the EP Delegation to Euronest Parliamentary Assembly*. The Delegation includes Mr Jacek Protasiewicz (EPP, Poland), Chair of the European Parliaments Delegation for Belarus, Mr Justas Paleckis (S&D, Lithuania), rapporteur of the Foreign Committee of the EP on Belarus and Ms Heidi Hautala (Green, Finland), Chair of the EP Subcommittee on Human Rights.

The aim of the Delegation is to discuss the possibility of participation of Belarus in the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly*. The Delegation will look also at human rights and ethnic minorites issues in Belarus in the light of the debate held in the European Parliament on 24 February and the upcoming resolution on Belarus to be voted by the Parliament during the March plenary session.

The official programme, which starts on Friday 26 February, includes meetings with the Central Electorate Commission, Sakharov Prize winners (Mr Alieksandr Milinkevich and Ms Zhanna Litvina), leaders of opposition and representatives of both chambers of the Belarusian parliament – Ms Nina Mazay and Mr Sergei Maskevich. The meeting with the representatives of the Belarusian parliament will take place in the National Library, as the European Parliament does not recognise the Belarusian parliament as democratically elected. The delegation will also meet representatives of the civil society and ethnic minorities (Polish, Ukrainian, Lithuanian and Roma) during a working lunch.

* parliamentary assembly gathering the European Parliament and national parliaments of Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaidjan, Belarus, Georgia, Mold?va and Ukraine)

Source

5. März 2010 in Östliche Partnerschaft

Permalink