FOREIGN POLICY, SANCTIONS AND HUMAN RIGHTS: ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EU MEASURES AGAINST RUSSIA AND BELARUS. A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF EU NORMATIVE POWER IN THE WAKE OF AUTHORITARIAN REPRESSION

Abstract

This article critically examines the effectiveness of the European Union’s human rights-driven sanctions against Russia and Belarus, focusing on their role as instruments of normative foreign policy. Employing a comparative case study approach and the Normative Power Europe (NPE) framework, the study finds that while EU sanctions robustly signal a commitment to human rights and have imposed significant economic and reputational costs, they have not resulted in meaningful political change or democratization. Instead, both regimes adapted through economic diversification and increased repression, while ordinary citizens faced inflation and restricted access to goods. The analysis uniquely highlights the divergent adaptation strategies in Russia and Belarus, the challenges of maintaining EU policy coherence, and the importance of multilateral coordination. The paper concludes with actionable recommendations for a more targeted, coherent, and humanitarian EU sanctions strategy.