BRUSSELS, Belgium — The EU Council has decided to strengthen the existing restrictive measures in view of the situation in Belarus by introducing a ban on the overflight of EU airspace and on access to EU airports by Belarusian carriers of all kinds, a press release said on Friday.
“EU member states will therefore be required to deny permission to land in, take off from or overfly their territories to any aircraft operated by Belarusian air carriers, including as a marketing carrier.
“[Today’s] decision follows up on the European Council conclusions of May 24 and 25, 2021, in which EU heads of state and government strongly condemned the unlawful forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk on May 23, 2021, endangering aviation safety.
“The conclusions also condemned the detention by Belarusian authorities of journalist Raman Pratasevich and Sofia Sapega, and called on the Council to adopt the necessary measures, including additional listings of persons and entities on the basis of the relevant sanctions framework, and further targeted economic sanctions,” the press release said.
