In the first half of this year, EU countries bought almost 100 million euros worth of furniture from Belarus. Most of them went to Poland and Germany.
In August this year, the Council of the European Union agreed to extend sanctions against Belarus. Minsk is under pressure due to the persecution of the democratic opposition and the country’s support for Russia in its war with Ukraine.
According to the new regulations, the export to this country of a number of goods and technologies crucial for Belarusian military and technological development will be prohibited. The ban also covers weapons and ammunition, as well as technologies used in the aviation and space industries.
Sanctions would also apply to people involved in the conviction of Polish-Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut.
The EU buys Belarusian furniture
Meanwhile, European Union countries, according to the German “Der Spiegel”, buy furniture in Belarus. This industry has become “the last gold mine” for Alexander Lukashenko. Despite the sanctions imposed on Minsk, the production and import of these goods is going well, and companies from France, Austria and Poland, among others, are using Belarus as a ‘cheap workshop’.
“In the first six months of this year, EU countries bought furniture from Belarus worth 97.2 million euros. The majority of these imports went to Poland and Germany, followed by the Netherlands, Lithuania and Latvia, Romania, Estonia and France.” we read on the Deutsche Welle website, which describes the findings of the German newspaper.
Journalists were unable to determine which specific companies purchase furniture from the Belarusian regime. The largest producers in Europe did not respond to the questions from “Der Spiegel”. Others limited themselves to stating that they “currently” do not import furniture from Belarus.
“The organizations Earthsight and B4Ukraine demand that sanctions be imposed on furniture from Belarus. Furniture from Russia is already on the list of goods whose import is prohibited. Non-governmental organizations also want sanctions to cover paper and cellulose as well. The import of these raw materials has not only not decreased after Russia’s attack on Ukraine, but has even increased,” write German journalists.
Source: Do Rzeczy
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
