Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

Belarus is one of the world's top 10 butter producing countries.

However, such an achievement comes at a price - every year the agricultural sector in Belarus requires at least $750m on average in government subsidies. This is more than the Belarusian army, police force, health ( Read more... )

Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

Belarus is reeling from the effects of the wobbling oil price and Western-imposed sanctions on Russia.

The economy is now paying for the absence of liberal reforms through a decrease in manufacturing, the depreciation of the national currency and the need for budget cuts. The ( Read more... )

Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

For 2015, any positive growth would be considered a great success for the Belarusian authorities. Apart from external shocks, several structural challenges have emerged.

A spike in inflation, deeper depreciation of the national currency, the distress of the banking industry, ( Read more... )

Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

Belarusian and foreign analysts examine Belarus' peace efforts, the role of oil in the Eurasian Economic Union, challenges of post-Soviet education and other topics.

Belarus and the Eurasian Economic Union: Only about Oil? - The German Economic Team Belarus (GET Belarus) ( Read more... )

Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

In 2013 Belarus Digest published over 250 articles. We selected top ten most viewed articles  published this year.

1. Getting A Belarusian Visa: Easier But More Expensive

Since 22 August 2013 all foreigners can get Belarusian visas through the Minsk National Airport just after ( Read more... )

Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

Over the recent months the rate of economic growth in Belarus has been gradually declining. For eleven months the GDP grew only by 0.9%. A decline in industrial production had a detrimental effect on economic growth. Despite the decrease in production volumes, the level of ( Read more... )

Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

On 13 December, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev proclaimed that Russia and Belarus may introduce a single currency. Various officials from both countries have regularly proclaimed such intentions since 1993.

There has been no result to these back and forth in the past ( Read more... )

Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

On the 10 October 2013 the government and the National Bank of Belarus issued a plan for structural reforms of the Belarusian economy aimed to increase its competitiveness.​

Faced with major threats to its macroeconomic stability and the unfortunate timing of the potash ( Read more... )

Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

As the World Hockey Championship 2014 approaches, the organising committee and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus announced that they plan to suspend the perplexing visa regime to facilitate tourist travel. Ticket-holders during the month-long event in May of next year ( Read more... )

Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

In August and September, the general public's attention was focused on the dispute between Belaruskali and Uralkali, the world's two largest producers of potash fertilisers. The conflict between two economic entities created additional difficulties for the Belarusian potash ( Read more... )