Rapporteur Picula ends his visit to Serbia

While serious challenges for the country remain, they need to be addressed in a spirit of compromise and of rebuilding trust, said Tonino Picula.

Following his first official visit to Serbia, the European Parliament’s new rapporteur for Serbia Tonino Picula stated:

“We need to keep the Serbian EU accession process on track and seize the new momentum for EU enlargement. While serious challenges for the country remain, they need to be addressed in a spirit of compromise and rebuilt trust.”

”I urge Serbia to demonstrate its strategic orientation towards the European Union by aligning with common foreign and security policy and to communicate objectively and unambiguously about the EU. I encourage Serbia to advance on its European path and address shortcomings that persist in critical areas, such as the rule of law, the freedom and pluralism of media, the electoral framework, the fight against corruption, and public administration reform.”

Rapporteur Picula emphasised the importance of close relations both for Serbia and the EU. The rapporteur encouraged cooperation between the ruling majority and opposition for a common goal. Furthermore, he stressed that restarting more regular and constructive parliamentary relations is an essential step towards the fulfilment of all necessary reforms.”

Serbia needs to work with the EU on reforms

“In order to restore trust, it is important that both sides deliver on their commitments. I encourage Serbia to work with the EU on reforms to improve these areas by their self-declared deadline for adopting EU acquis by the end of 2026.

Pressure on civil society organisations that can hinder their work goes against the values of a democratic and pluralistic society. In that context, yesterday’s actions of the police are a cause for concern. Serbia is expected to ensure a truly enabling environment for civil society, which plays a vital role in a healthy democratic society. These are values that are not only at the core of the European Union, but also of the future of Serbia as a candidate country, and its citizens. On the other hand, the EU needs to maintain a credible and merit-based EU accession perspective for Serbia, based on an objective assessment of the conditions,” said the rapporteur.

Mr. Picula condemned unsubstantiated allegations against the EU and its member states suggesting their involvement in organising the ongoing protests. Finally, he expressed readiness to support the political and democratic processes related to Serbia’s European path by using its existing democracy support tools and initiatives.

Background

The new European Parliament rapporteur on Serbia, Tonino Picula, visited Belgrade and Novi Sad this week in the context of his upcoming report on Serbia.

Among others, the rapporteur met with the Speaker of the Serbian Parliament Ana Brnabić, Minister of European Integration Tanja Miščević , representatives of all political groups, both from coalition and opposition, as well as with journalists, non-governmental organisations and business representatives. Tonino Picula also visited Novi Sad train station and laid flowers in memory of the victims of the collapse of the canopy of 1 November 2024.

The discussions focused on the state of play of EU-Serbia relations, including Serbia’s commitment to EU accession, judiciary, freedom of speech and media, Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and many other topics.