Weighted politics and good relations. President meets with European Commissioner Günther Oettinger

Belarus and the European Union have significantly advanced in the development of bilateral relations including in the trade and economic sphere. This was stated by Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting with European Commissioner Gunther Oettinger. He is in charge of the budget and human resources with the European Commission. The Belarusian leader stated that if there are problems between Minsk and Brussels, they are definitely not of a chronic nature and should be resolved. The European Union is the second largest market for Belarusian exports. At the end of 2018 experts note a positive trend in trade with the EU. The trade turnover showed an almost 20% growth and exceeded 17 billion dollars. Moreover, we deliver to the EU more than we buy. This is important, given that we purposefully diversify foreign trade.

According to Oettinger, the European Union intends to increase funding for projects in Belarus. The European Commissioner says that right now the budget is being developed practically for the next ten years. The budget plan includes financing projects within Eastern Partnership. Some of them will be implemented in our country. There is an agreement to create a working group with experts from Belarus and the European Commission in Brussels to discuss specific areas of cooperation and future programs.

In general, relations between Minsk and Brussels have been developing in a positive way in recent years. This is confirmed by the frequency of visits by European politicians.