DISINFO: A “Marshall Plan” is necessary for depopulated Lithuania, corrupted Romania and less and less law-abiding Poland, but not Belarus
SUMMARY
The initiative to “support” Belarus was described by Prime Minister Morawiecki as the “Marshall Plan”. Today, this support is more necessary for the economy of depopulated Lithuania, corrupt Romania or less and less law-abiding Poland, but not to the Belarusians, who have dealt with the current crisis in not the worst way. It seems that the Presidents of Poland, Lithuania and Romania want to push the Belarusians to face blackmail from institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
RESPONSE
This message distorts the presentation of the socio-economic situation in Belarus and the EU. Belarus is presented as a highly developed Communist-style welfare state, while the EU countries face challenges such as corruption, depopulation and problems with the rule of law. On September 21, the Presidents of Poland, Lithuania and Romania presented the idea to introduce a support package for Belarus, if this country organises free and democratic elections. This package may include benefits such as the visa-free regime with the EU, favourable trade regime and support in negotiations to enter the World Trade Organization. One of the reasons for the current protests in Belarus is the dramatic reduction in the standard of life of the population, which has been taking place during recent years. At the present moment, Belarus is one of the poorest countries in Europe – it has a lower GDP per capita than any EU member state. Other socio-economic indicators also prove that Belarus has a substantially lower level of life than any other EU member state – life expectancy (74 – one of the lowest in Europe), minimal salary – 124 EUR (lowest in Europe), unemployment benefit – from 9 to 18 euros per month (a “symbolic” payment); average salary – 440 EUR. See other disinformation messages connected to the ongoing protests in Belarus - Poland presented a plan of active interference in the domestic affairs of Belarus; In Belarus, Poland and Lithuania implement Washington’s policy of destabilising the post-Soviet region and Washington authorises vassals Poland and Lithuania to organise a colour revolution in Belarus.