What are the economic sanctions that the European Union imposes on a country for?
Not much, according to Emmanuel Macron.
While the 27 member countries have been meeting in Brussels since Monday, a summit during which they banned Belarusian planes from flying over European airspace after the hijacking of a plane and the arrest of a Belarusian activist on board, the President of the Republic acknowledged that the sanctions policy had reached its "limits".
Read alsoSanctions, convictions and consequences on the airspace after the hijacking of a flight by Belarus
He felt that it was no longer necessary to be "simply reactive" but "to define a short, medium and long term strategy" with Russia, guardian of Belarus.
“The policy of progressive sanctions on frozen situations is no longer an effective policy,” he added during a press briefing after the European Council.
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Flight diverted by Belarus: "normally, it is terrorist groups who carry out acts of air piracy"
Emmanuel Macron was questioned about the impact of the European sanctions adopted against the Belarusian regime, but also of those taken against Moscow to release the opponent Alexeï Navalny, to date without result.
Read alsoNavalny, the man at the heart of a new cold war
While acknowledging "the relative effectiveness of the measures we have been able to take in recent years", Emmanuel Macron admits that he has no other solutions for the moment.
"What you are saying is very correct, but what other type of measure would you have in mind?
», Retorted the French president to a journalist.
“It's not easy to say, what are we doing behind.
In these cases, do we start an armed conflict?
"
Sanctions are "just one step"
The European Council therefore asked the Commission for a June report on how to respond "to successive provocations" from Russia.
As for the measures to ban Belarusian airspace, adopted on Tuesday to release opponents, “will that be enough?
I don't know how to tell you today, ”he admitted.
But, on the subject of Russia, his conviction is clear: "I think that we are at a moment of truth in our relationship with Russia, which should lead us to rethink the terms of the tension that we decide to install" . Thus, the sanctions taken Monday evening against Belarus are "only a step" in his eyes.
