Effective 12 September 2025, Poland has officially closed all border crossings with Belarus until further notice. This move was announced by the Polish Minister of Interior Affairs on 10 September 2025, in response to the joint Russian-Belarusian military exercise “Zapad 2025”. From 12 September 2025, no commercial or person movement is possible through any of the Polish-Belarusian border crossings. The closure applies to road, rail, and pedestrian traffic, effectively sealing the border. Poland’s border policy…
On 29 June 2024, the EU adopted a new Belarus sanctions package by amending Council Regulation (EU) 765/2006 (the “EU Belarus Sanctions“), effective from 1 July 2024. The amending regulation can be found here. The new package increases the alignment of the EU Belarus Sanctions with the EU’s sanctions against Russia (including those contained in Regulation (EU) 833/2014 (the “EU Russia Sanctions“), as recently updated), in order to address the risk of circumvention. The new…
On May 7, 2016, the Government of Canada announced that it will lift its comprehensive trade sanctions against Belarus. The change reflects Canada’s acknowledgement of the recent actions taken by the Government of Belarus, including the release of political prisoners and a presidential election marked by improved adherence to international norms. Lifting sanctions against Belarus will bring Canada into alignment with actions taken by the United States and European Union since October 2015. Canada imposes…