The EU’s external relations with third countries have always offered excellent object lessons with respect to the omnipresent tension between the promotion of the EU’s essential moral values and the political and economic interests of its Member States. Most recent evidence to this effect can be found in the 2897th External Relations meeting of the Council of the European Union held 13 October in Luxemburg. There, the Council of the European Union decided to partially lift the sanctions against Belarus and Uzbekistan, i.e. countries that have a notorious record in terms of human rights and democracy. Belarus and Uzbekistan have…