On February 26, 2024, the Council of the European Union resolved to extend for one year, until February 28, 2025, the restrictive measures imposed against Belarus since August 2020.
In conclusions reached on February 19, 2024, the Council reaffirmed its policies vis-à-vis Belarus: support for democracy, concern about the deteriorating human rights situation, condemnation of the incarceration of political prisoners, denunciation of the persecution and intimidation of civil society by the Belarusian government, and disapproval of the regime’s continued support of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The restrictive measures include travel bans and economic sanctions, and are targeted at both the Belarusian support of Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the repressive human rights situation inside Belarus. More than 200 individuals and dozens of entities have been sanctioned, several Belarusian banks are subject to a SWIFT ban, transactions with the Central Bank of Belarus are prohibited, and restrictions on trade have been imposed, as well as travel bans and asset freezes.