Protecting regional security through sanctions against Belarus

Project title – Protecting regional security through sanctions against Belarus

Project Value – 4 258 Eur

Project duration – 2026-02-01 2026-06-01

Project implementer – Mykolas Romeris University

Project partners: Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (Germany); The University of Bremen (Research Centre for East European Studies) (Germany); The Latvian Institute of International Affairs (Latvia).

Project Leader: Dr. Loreta Šaltinytė

Objective: to organize an international interdisciplinary seminar on the legal and political context of sanctions against Belarus. To deepen understanding of sanctions policy toward authoritarian regimes as a means of strengthening peace, democracy, and human rights.

Summary: The seminar will focus on the analysis of the relationship between international law, human rights, and EU sanctions policy, with the aim of assessing whether sanctions can serve as effective tools for ensuring compliance with peremptory norms and accountability for serious violations of states’ international obligations and the commission of international crimes. It will bring together scholars and practitioners from the Baltic states, Germany, and other EU countries to strengthen academic cooperation and foster dialogue on sanctions policy and its implementation. By focusing on Belarus, the seminar will stimulate academic discussion on the EU’s sanctions policy toward this country, which is generally considered a Russian satellite state. It will strengthen cooperation between the academic communities of Lithuania and Germany in the fields of sanctions law and geopolitical security studies.

The project outcomes will include:
● a joint academic publication;
● a strengthened network of experts from the Baltic States and Germany on issues related to sanctions, human rights, and the implementation of standards.

The project is funded by the Baltic-German University Office under the Event Support Program.