The European Union (EU) is preparing sanctions on Belarus’ national airline and around a dozen top Belarusian aviation officials, three diplomats said, a stop-gap measure before economic sanctions following the forced landing of a passenger plane.
The proposed asset freezes and travel bans are part of a package of new sanctions on Belarus from EU states, which are outraged that a Ryanair flight was pressed to land in Minsk on May 23 to arrest a dissident journalist and his girlfriend.
EU governments, which described the incident as state piracy, say they are looking at targeting sectors that play a central role in the Belarus economy, to inflict real punishment on President Alexander Lukashenko. They could include bond sales, the oil sector and potash, a big Belarusian export.
Before imposing such economic sanctions, the bloc is expected to agree by June 21 – when EU foreign ministers meet – a smaller sanctions list on individuals and two entities as a quick, intermediary response, the diplomats said.
“All EU states agree with this approach,” one diplomat said. A second diplomat said there would be “a clear signal for Lukashenko that his actions were dangerous and unacceptable”.
While the sanctions are still under discussion, EU ambassadors as early as Friday could pre-approve banning overflights and landing in EU territory by Belarus airlines, allowing EU ministers to formally sign off on them later in the month.
Britain, no longer part of the EU, has suspended the air permit for Belarus’ national carrier, Belavia. The EU is expected to do the same, the diplomats said.
