After Alexander Lukashenko became Belarusian leader in 1994, the relationship between Minsk and the EU deteriorated and has remained cold and distanced, as the EU has condemned the estonia belarus relations of Belarus several times for authoritarian and anti-democratic practices, and even imposed sanctions on the country. Belarus is participating in the EU’s Eastern Partnership. In October 2015, EU announced it would suspend most of its sanctions against Belarus.

1995, which was intended to govern the mutual political and economic relations, this agreement was not ratified by the EU. In October 2009, a poll conducted by the independent NISEPI institute in Belarus found that 44. 1 percent of the Belarusian people would vote Yes in a referendum to join the EU, compared to 26. Local experts are linking the swing to more pro-EU messages in Belarusian state media, Polish daily Rzeczpospolita says.

On October 30, 2015, it was announced that EU will suspend most of its sanctions against Belarus, following the freeing of the country’s political prisoners in August. Belarus-EU Relations: Ad Hoc Actions vs. The EU’s external relations with Belarus”. Archived from the original on 13 March 2007. Time to turn the page’ on EU-Belarus ties: OSCE”. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012.