On 20 December, Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Prakapovich announced the need to accelerate the modernisation of Belarus. According to him, it was necessary to carry out not only its technical modernisation, but also its economic modernisation, including improving public administration system. But what Prakapovich's speech actually proved was that modernisation of Belarusian enterprises has failed. The state invested over $1bn in the cement and woodworking industries, but businesses are still generating only losses. At the same time some Belarusian companies cooperate with developed countries and update new technologies in their enterprises successfully. These examples serve as a good lesson for today's leaders of Belarus.
Belarus did not have a major political campaign – an election or referendum – in 2013. Therefore, the political actors focused on preparations for the upcoming elections in 2014 and 2015. The authorities introduced a number of amendments to the Election Code and the opposition dealt with the issues of electing a single candidate and developing a winning strategy. Also, Belarusian domestic politics last year became remarkable for the political implications of the state modernization program, cautious attempts to reform the public administration system and societal struggle against unpopular government initiatives.
On 27 December, Minister of Foreign Affairs Uladzimir Makei held an event with journalists, diplomats and analysts to reflect on a controversial year for Belarus' foreign policy. Though Belarus was tough in the potash war, this conflict exposed the weaknesses of Lukashenka's regime and its dependence on Russia. Belarus still has not resumed shipments of fertilisers at previous levels. At the same time, Russia has relocated several fighter jets in Belarus and is pushing hard for the sale of Belarusian enterprises.
Traditionally, Belarusians celebrated Christmas as a part of Kaliady – a two week long pagan holiday of winter solstice. However, today most Belarusians celebrate New Year's Eve as their main winter holiday. This tradition comes from Soviet times, when communists rejected the sacred sense of Christmas time. New Year's eve celebrations in post-Soviet lands remains closely linked to feasts of food, consumption of alcohol and fireworks.
In 2013 Belarus Digest published over 250 articles. We selected top ten most viewed articles published this year. 1. Getting A Belarusian Visa: Easier But More Expensive Since 22 August 2013 all foreigners can get Belarusian visas through the Minsk National Airport just after their arrival. However, these and other measures to relax the visa regime on the eve of the 2014 Ice Hockey World Cup still remain incomplete. They leave a number of obstacles on the path to simplifying travel to Belarus and from Belarus which includes low number of no visa treaties with other countries and high visa costs.
Over the recent months the rate of economic growth in Belarus has been gradually declining. For eleven months the GDP grew only by 0.9%. A decline in industrial production had a detrimental effect on economic growth. Despite the decrease in production volumes, the level of finished goods in warehouses of enterprises remained high. Increases in retail turnover stimulated GDP growth. Despite the slowdown in inflation in 2013 in comparison to the previous year, the increase in consumer prices for the year will exceed established predicted values. In connection with the accelerated rate of inflation in the second half of 2013, as well as to maintain a stable situation on the currency market and the banking sector, the National Bank decided to keep the refinancing rate unchanged till the end of 2013.
The World Ice Hockey Championship will take place in Minsk on 9-25 May. Although not as extensive as those for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, preparation for this major sporting event is riddled with abuses and misteps. Belarusian authorities are accused of using forced labour in the ice hockey arena's construction and struggle with organising English language classes for the police. They also produced a large number of souvenirs that have subsequently been prohibited to sell.
Top 10 activities and achievements, which in enriched Belarusian civil society in 2013. Advocacy of the Year: Perspectiva NGO Perspectiva, a small vendors association headed by Anatoly Shumchanka managed to postpone, until 1 July 2014, a complex procedure of certification to confirm the quality and safety of products in accordance with Customs Union regulation. Its advocacy efforts included series of appeals, meetings with officials as well as mass strikes due to which the voice of 230,000 small entrepreneurs was heard by the authorities. “Belarusization” of the Year: Mova ci Kava courses
On 13 December, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev proclaimed that Russia and Belarus may introduce a single currency. Various officials from both countries have regularly proclaimed such intentions since 1993. There has been no result to these back and forth in the past two decades, yet officials apparently have more interest in the process than in outcomes. Integration talk hides the reality of the diverging developmental paths of two nations. The results of bilateral relations are far from ideal as the decline by eleven percent in volume of Belarus-Russian trade illustrates. According to Medvedev, trade diminished due to negative processes in global markets. Indeed, declines might be a result of Russian policy. This is especially true after Russia's one-sided accession to the WTO took goods from cheap-labour countries squeezed out Belarusian goods from Russian markets.
Housing remains among a top priorities for ordinary Belarusians, as Belarusian state television noted. This topic became unquestionably the number one issue over the last week. The issue of housing attracted lots of attention from the state media after Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s public sharp criticism of the authorities and demand for firmer control over the construction business. Is Minsk sending a positive message to Brussels? At a meeting with foreign diplomats, the head of state stressed several times his desire to normalise relations with the European Union.
The Centre for Transition Studies kicks off Belarus Profile - a searchable online database that contains the biographic information of over 200 people influential in Belarus. Belarus Profile differs from other who is who projects not only in its scope but also because it is available in three languages: English, Russian and Belarusian. The project has an advanced search option on personal information, details on individuals' education and career that help to detect patterns in the Belarusian political system. The results of a search of over 200 influential Belarusians reveals that Belarusian officials usually were born in villages and small towns. Civil society activists come primarily from major cities.
On 10 December Alexander Lukashenka held an unusual event – the first-ever nationwide executive conference that gathered more than 250 top officials from across the whole country. He called it the “most important event of the year” and compared it to the Soviet-era plenary sessions of the Communist Party. A major issue for the conference participants was how to improve the management of state executive personnel and make sure that qualified civil servants stay in government jobs. In broader terms, the conference looked like a deliberate attempt by President Lukashenka to prevent a governance crisis, which is looming large in the light of recent studies and scandals.
Belarus’ banks have dropped further in their ratings as a result of government policy that has led to a very low level of liquidity in their transactions. The state has downgraded its asking price for their controlling share of the MTS mobile company in Belarus in hopes of finding a buyer and two Belarusian military instructors were killed in Yemen for reasons unknown. A recent report released by human rights groups in Belarus says that workers' rights to reasonable work schedules and voluntary labour are routinely being violated by the authorities. A young Belarusian journalist wins an international award for her report on a young Belarusian homosexual.
On 13 December, a new waste sorting station will start working in the town of Masty in the Hrodna region. The European Union finances the project as a part of national programme for environmental protection in Belarus. Besides the waste management problem, the EU supports other environmental projects such as green energy and water purification. The Belarusian government frequently applies for EU assistance and gladly accepts it. However, the official line does not allow it to publicly demonstrate its cooperation with the EU. Environmental protection serves as one of the areas where quiet cooperation between the EU and Belarus is successfully developing.