Civil society and political representatives met in Brussels on Monday 7 April at the European Economic and Social Committee for the 19th meeting of the EU-Serbia Civil Society Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), to discuss the implications of the recent demonstrations in the country (see EUROPE 13612/28).
This platform, established within the institutional framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Union and Belgrade, helps representatives of the EU and Serbian civil society to monitor the Balkan country’s EU accession negotiations. It also highlights the concerns to be taken into account in the process.
The meeting resulted in a joint declaration stressing the need for progress in Serbia’s EU accession negotiations, particularly on reforms and the Rule of law. The committee condemns the pressure on civil society, the media and the judicial system and calls for measures to guarantee freedom of expression.
Serbia is currently facing a wave of public anger, which began with the fatal collapse of the Novi Sad station canopy in November 2024. This movement reached its climax on 15 March, with a rally that brought together hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in the capital, demanding “accountability and justice”.
Serbia - and its president, Aleksandar Vučić - are facing criticism from Europeans over his complacency towards Vladimir Putin’s regime and his overtly pro-Russian stance (see EUROPE 13531/4).
“I don’t think it’s viable for [Vučić] to continue to play several games and have a multi-vector foreign policy between China, Russia, the United States and the Union”, said Tonino Picula (S&D, Croatian), the European Parliament’s permanent rapporteur for Serbia.
“We do not share common political objectives with Beijing and Moscow. It will be impossible for Serbia to conclude the negotiations and become a Member State as long as it does not make radical changes in this area”, he added at a briefing on the issue of enlargement, saying he had “doubts” about Aleksandar Vučić’s willingness to “really join” the EU.
The country is expected to be on track to start negotiations on European competitiveness and growth policies (‘Cluster III’), having been invited by member countries to submit its negotiating positions for Chapters 16 and 19 (see EUROPE 13547/2). But no significant progress in this direction has been noted by the EU.
To see the statement by the EU/Serbia JCC Committee: https://aeur.eu/f/gbf (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)