EU may approve sanctions against Belarus air carriers as early as Jun 4 – Bloomberg
<p> MINSK, Jun 3 - PrimePress. The European Union (EU) is expected to sign off June 4 on banning Belarusian carriers from flying over European airspace, as well as landing and taking off from the bloc’s airports, Bloomberg reports citing several sources. </p> <p> </p> <p> If approved, the measures would come into force as early as midnight that same evening. </p> <p> </p> <p> According to Bloomberg, early next week the EU will discuss proposals to sanction at least seven individuals and one entity. The list currently under discussion includes ministers, persons in the Belarusian Air Force and other aviation-related people and entities. </p> <p> </p> <p> As previously reported, on May 23, a Ryanair airline plane flying from Athens to Vilnius made an emergency landing at Minsk National Airport after receiving information about an explosive device on board (the bomb report was not confirmed). The manoeuvre was performed in the company of a Belarus Air Force MIG-29 fighter. Belarusian blogger and activist Roman Protasevich was on board the Ryanair plane and was detained. He is charged under three articles of the Criminal Code of Belarus and is on the international wanted list. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will conduct an official investigation into the incident. A number of countries have closed their airspace for Belarusian air carriers and prohibited their airlines to fly over Belarus. </p> <p> </p> <p> The EU leaders, following a discussion on Belarus on May 24, made a political decision to ban flights of Belarusian planes in the European airspace, as well as to recommend European airlines to avoid flights over Belarus. The EU urged to adopt new sanctions against Belarus as soon as possible in connection with the air incident. Now the decision of the EU leaders needs technical approval at the ministerial level. Head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell announced that the sanctions could be adopted on June 21. End </p>
2021-06-04
Primepress
EU may approve sanctions against Belarus air carriers as early as Jun 4 – Bloomberg
MINSK, Jun 3 - PrimePress. The European Union (EU) is expected to sign off June 4 on banning Belarusian carriers from flying over European airspace, as well as landing and taking off from the bloc’s airports, Bloomberg reports citing several sources.
If approved, the measures would come into force as early as midnight that same evening.
According to Bloomberg, early next week the EU will discuss proposals to sanction at least seven individuals and one entity. The list currently under discussion includes ministers, persons in the Belarusian Air Force and other aviation-related people and entities.
As previously reported, on May 23, a Ryanair airline plane flying from Athens to Vilnius made an emergency landing at Minsk National Airport after receiving information about an explosive device on board (the bomb report was not confirmed). The manoeuvre was performed in the company of a Belarus Air Force MIG-29 fighter. Belarusian blogger and activist Roman Protasevich was on board the Ryanair plane and was detained. He is charged under three articles of the Criminal Code of Belarus and is on the international wanted list. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will conduct an official investigation into the incident. A number of countries have closed their airspace for Belarusian air carriers and prohibited their airlines to fly over Belarus.
The EU leaders, following a discussion on Belarus on May 24, made a political decision to ban flights of Belarusian planes in the European airspace, as well as to recommend European airlines to avoid flights over Belarus. The EU urged to adopt new sanctions against Belarus as soon as possible in connection with the air incident. Now the decision of the EU leaders needs technical approval at the ministerial level. Head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell announced that the sanctions could be adopted on June 21. End