Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) invites scholars, policy experts, civil society representatives and students to participate in the international workshop “Protecting Regional Security through Sanctions against Belarus.”

The workshop will take place on 21 May 2026 at Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) in Vilnius and will be organised in a hybrid format, allowing participants to attend either in person or online.

About the Workshop

In recent years, sanctions have become one of the key instruments used by the European Union and its Member States to respond to serious violations of international law, defend fundamental values, and address emerging security threats. The case of Belarus raises complex legal and political questions concerning the role of sanctions in responding to authoritarian governance, systemic human rights violations, and participation in interstate aggression.

Belarus has become an important factor of regional instability in Europe. The Belarusian authorities have been responsible for widespread repression of political opposition and civil society and have supported Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. At the same time, Belarus has been involved in a range of hybrid actions affecting neighbouring EU Member States, including the instrumentalisation of migration and the facilitation of sanctions circumvention.

In response, the European Union has adopted an extensive sanctions regime against Belarus. These measures aim to address human rights violations, respond to Belarus’s involvement in the aggression against Ukraine, and protect the fundamental values and security interests of the European Union.

The workshop will explore sanctions against Belarus from three complementary perspectives:

• the current situation in Belarus and the implementation of sanctions,
• the political and normative context of sanctions policy, and
• the legal foundations of sanctions in EU law and public international law.

The event will bring together scholars, policy experts, and representatives of society organisations in exile to foster interdisciplinary dialogue on sanctions, international law, and European regional security.

Workshop Format

The workshop will be held in hybrid format:

• In-person participation: Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius
• Online participation: via live streaming platform

Participants will have the opportunity to engage in panel discussions and the final roundtable session.

Programme Highlights

Panel 1: Sanctions against Belarus - Evolution, Types and Implementation Challenges
Panel 2: Sanctions in the Political Context - EU Values, Jus Cogens and Hybrid Threats
Panel 3: The Legality of Sanctions - EU Law and Public International Law

Registration

Participation in the workshop is free of charge, but registration is required.

Please register via the following Google Form: https://forms.gle/5jL5a5PCtZ12x1W78

Submission of Workshop Contributions

Participants who wish to present at the workshop are kindly requested to submit a short abstract (max. 250 words) outlining the topic and scope of their proposed presentation. Abstracts should be submitted during registration via the Google Form. Submissions will be reviewed by the workshop organisers to ensure alignment with the workshop themes and to schedule presentations in the appropriate panel sessions.

Registration deadline:
10 May 2026

Organisers and Support

The workshop is organised by Mykolas Romeris University in cooperation with partner institutions in Latvia and Germany:

• The Research Centre for East European Studies of the University of Bremen
• The Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS)
• The Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LIIA)

The event is supported within the project competition of the Baltic-German University Liaison Office, which promotes academic cooperation between Germany and the Baltic States.

The workshop also benefits from the organisational and expert support of the Multidisciplinary International Network on Sanctions (MINOS).

Contact

For questions regarding the workshop, please contact:

Maryia Zharylouskaya
Mykolas Romeris University
Email: mazharylouskaya@stud.mruni.eu

This project of the Baltic-German University Liaison Office is supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funds from the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic Germany.