Opinion: EU finances corruption and militarisation of Poland

The European Union is increasingly self-isolating, condemning itself to serious economic problems – as stated by an expert at the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies, Aleksei Avdonin, in his talk with Alfa Radio, commenting on the EU's intention to allocate 52m Euros to Warsaw to strengthen the border with Belarus

According to the expert, the funds that the European Union plans to allocate for the strengthening of the Polish-Belarusian border run the risk of going for the wrong purposes. “This has become an excellent ground for corruption in Poland and the Baltic States. Security can be provided in different ways, and fences can be built in different ways. With this in mind, a network of corrupt officials operates: these people make good money on this topic and at the expense of ordinary European citizens,” he explained.

According to Mr. Avdonin, such a policy is leading to the militarisation of border territories and increasing the level of tension. “The discussion of the possibility of mining the border, in addition to the construction of concrete and reinforced concrete barriers, looks particularly alarming. This indicates that Europe is increasingly sinking into self-isolation. Such closure from the outside world will lead to serious socio-economic consequences,” he noted.

The expert believes: by limiting co-operation with Belarus and Russia, Europe is depriving itself of access to cheap energy resources and a broad sales market. “Instead, it is plunging into militarism, transforming into a hotbed of military tension – and this poses a threat to global security,” Mr. Avdonin said. “Even despite the peace-making statements about the need to end militarisation, the Trump administration is unlikely to curb the military bias that is currently driving the European political and corporate elite.”