In 1999 - 2005, EU technical assistance to Belarus, performed in line with the 1997 General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) Conclusions on Belarus, was limited “to humanitarian or regional projects or those which directly support the democratisation process.”  In the years 1991 through 2004, Belarus received €221 mln. from EU, and in 2005-2006 the total of €8 mln. was assigned to Belarus through the TACIS programme.

Since 1997, support of the Belarusian society was provided through three main groups of instruments:

1. TACIS (Technical Assistance for the Commonwealth of Independent States). Since 2004, this programme has financed Belarusian projects aimed at support for civil society, higher education cooperation, and elimination of the consequences of Chernobyl catastrophe.
2. Thematic budget lines:

• EIDHR (European Instrument/Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights). Since 2005, Belarus has been eligible under this programme that provides support for democratisation, education and training and the media sector, through cooperation with OSCE/ODIHR and UNDP.
• Decentralised Cooperation Programme, aiming to strengthen social dialogue between local governments and civil society, to contribute to poverty reduction, to promote cultural diversity and to support fight against intolerance.         
• Landmines Programme.        
• The Nuclear Safety Programme.       
• Food and Security programmes.        
• Humanitarian assistance (in particular, in relation to mitigation of the Chernobyl catastrophe effects) through ECHO (The European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department).
• Regional and cross-border programmes.

3. Support for research and development through the Framework Programme, including INTAS (International Association for the promotion of co-operation with scientists from the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union (NIS)) and through the International Science and Technology Centre (ISTC). 

In 2002, Belarus introduced obligatory registration procedures for all projects to be implemented within its borders; this new requirement significantly hindered implementation of a number of TACIS projects. ENPI Country Strategy Paper for Belarus 2007-2013 reports: “As a consequence, part of the TACIS funds have been redirected towards financial instruments such as EDIHR and the Decentralised Cooperation programmes. These programmes can also provide funding for activities carried out outside Belarus by non-Belarusian organisations.”

Starting from 2007, EU assistance to Belarus is provided by means of a new set of instruments.

ENPI (the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument) will be the principal EU tool that will replace TACIS programme, together with MEDA and a number of various thematic programmes. Each year approximately €5 mln. will be provided specifically to Belarus under the ENPI. 70% of this amount will be given to the projects in the sphere of social and economic development (including projects that aim to eliminate harmful effects of the Chernobyl catastrophe), and 30% will be assigned to projects in the field of democratic development and good governance. ENPI Country Strategy Paper 2007-2013 and National Indicative Programme 2007-2010 for Belarus is available on the Official Website of the European Commission.

More specifically, ENPI programmes will include:       

• ENPI trans-national regional programme (for Belarus, this will be the ENPI Eastern Regional Programme). This programme will cover such issues as transport and environment, as well as certain aspects of Border and Migration management, the Fight against Transnational Organised Crime, and Customs. Under the ENPI Eastern Regional Programme, funding of €223 million was assigned for the period 2007-2010.
• ENPI-Wide Programme (Technical Assistance and Information Exchange (TAIEX), The Trans-European Mobility Scheme for University Studies (Tempus) and a new EC scholarship programme).
• ENPI Cross-border Cooperation / Neighbourhood and Partnership Programmes (NPP), including bilateral programmes (involving two countries) and multilateral programmes (involving more than two countries). Within the framework of NPP, Belarus is eligible under three programmes: Latvia – Lithuania – Belarus; Poland – Belarus – Ukraine and Baltic Sea Region (BSR) Programme.

European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) aims to promote democracy and protect human rights throughout the world. In 2004-2005, EC assistance to Belarus through EIDHR amounted to €5 mln.

Instrument for Stability (IfS or Stability Instrument) is intended to deliver effective reaction in case of political crisis or any kind of disasters until normal cooperation under regular instruments is restored.

Instrument for Nuclear Safety Co-operation (INSC) replaces the TACIS Nuclear Safety Programme from 2007 onwards. Its main objective is to contribute to better nuclear safety and non-proliferation in the world. INSC is mainly concerned with mitigation of the consequences of the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe.

Other thematic programmes:

• Democracy and Human Rights;
• Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development;
• Migration and Asylum;
• Human and Social Development – Investing in People.

In addition to EU programmes, Belarus has been supported by other donors and international stakeholders, such as the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe), the Council of Europe, the World Bank, UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and ILO (International Labour Organisation) in the field of support for the development of democracy, human rights and civil society, as well as by individual Member States (except Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Portugal).