Loading...
RSS
Belarus-Russia relations Belarusian language Belarusian military travel to Belarus
Why Support Belarus Digest?
Ineffective state-owned enterprises, improved business climate – digest of the Belarusian economy
On 17 November 2017, the official statistical body of Belarus, Belstat, announced that GDP growth for ten months of the year has reached a new high outscoring the previous month’s record. However, state-owned enterprises are still unable to significantly...
30 January 2017
hamaniec-287x192._belsat.eu_.jpg
Belarus pursues ‘social parasites’ at home and abroad

Since late 2016, Belarusian tax authorities have started sending out notifications to all unemployed Belarusians forcing them to reimburse the government for 'state expenditures.' In other words, the Belarusian state automatically assumes that all people not reported as working are...

22 February 2016
1mytnia_onliner.jpg
How to Make Quick Money for the State: The Belarusian Solution

Belarus had a rough start to 2016 with the global drop in oil prices, causing instability in its currency and posing problems for its budget planning. Yet instead of focusing on the IMF recommendations, the government appears to favour...

30 September 2015
lukashenka_meeting_imf_head.jpg
Belarusian Economy A Month Before the Elections – Digest of the Belarusian Economy

In the last month before the Presidential elections, the Belarusian economy continues to disappoint. Although decline in GDP has slowed, the -3.5 per cent growth has failed to impress. The Belarusian rouble continues to depreciate as oil prices plunge. The...

21 July 2014
cigarettes-pic.jpg
The Tobacco Curse: Why Belarus Smokes and Smuggles Cigarettes

More than 65% of Belarusian university and high school students smoke, according to recent estimates from the Ministry of Health. While smoking is declining across Europe, a growing number of young Belarusians are turning to cigarettes due to lax regulations...

14 January 2014
2014-01-04t184034z_1308634898_gm1ea1507e201_rtrmadp_3_russia-putin-olympics.jpg
Hugo Chavez: the Musical, Tax Hike Protest, Opposition Leader Beaten – Western Press Digest

The western press covered a number of Belarus-related issues over the past month, though the economy remained their primary focus. The long-rumoured potential sale of state-owned assets to Russian investors appears to be moving forward. This news is closely tied...