The EU bans its airspace to Belarusian companies

The European Union decided on Friday to ban Belarusian airlines from accessing its airspace and finalize new economic sanctions against the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko, several diplomatic sources in Brussels told AFP. The measure, demanded at the end of May by European leaders, was legally formalized on Friday by the 27 member countries. The ban is due to come into force on Saturday, the same sources said.

It primarily concerns the national company Belavia and this measure constitutes a powerful economic sanction against Belarus, explained a diplomat.

The sanction stems from the decision of the Belarusian authorities to divert to Minsk a plane of the European company Ryanair connecting Athens to Vilnius to arrest two of its passengers, the Belarusian dissident journalist Roman Protassevich and his Russian friend Sofia Sapega.

European airlines have also been instructed not to fly over Belarusian airspace.

Hit the Belarusian regime in the wallet

European leaders have also called for individual sanctions against those responsible for the diversion of the Ryanair flight at the end of May and for sectoral economic sanctions to hit the regime in the portfolio. Two rounds of individual sanctions are being finalized and are expected to be approved next week, the same sources explained. The first set includes eight names of officials or entities involved in the decision to divert the Ryanair plane on May 23, according to information obtained by AFP.

The second has "several dozen names of people or entities" involved in the repression of the opposition.

The idea of ​​merging the two lists is being considered, it was indicated.

The sanctions consist of a visa ban and the freezing of assets held in the EU.

The EU has already sanctioned 88 members of the regime in this way, including President Lukashenko and his son.

Other sanctions under discussion

Several sectoral economic sanctions are also under discussion.

The exports of potash and the transit of Russian gas, two important sources of income for Belarus, are two avenues, European foreign minister Josep Borrell told AFP last week.

Options could be submitted to the Foreign Ministers of the Twenty-Seven at their next meeting on June 21 in Luxembourg, said Josep Borrell. Several member states, however, warned of the "impact on the population". Unanimity is required for the adoption of European sanctions.