The European Parliament will send a delegation to the elections in Serbia, but only after the invitation from the office of the acting president of the country arrived after the deadline. The MEPs granted a two-day extension, and Prebilič describes the delay as a message in itself.
Members of the European People's Party expressed deep concern and strong indignation at the events at Ratko Mladić's funeral. The expulsion of SNS, which has the status of an associate member, is being considered
It is now clear to the European Union that the government in Serbia, which for a time appeared to be pro-European, has not actually fundamentally distanced itself from the politics of the 1990s, pointed out Dragana Đurica from the European Movement.
"The glorification of Ratko Mladić and the military honors shown at his funeral can only damage the credibility of Serbia and threaten its path to the European Union," said the spokesman of the EPP parliamentary group for Serbia, Davor Štir.
It was especially disturbing to see Serbian ministers, officials, army representatives along with RS leaders and politicians attending the funeral and paying tribute to the war criminal, said the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos.
The glorification of a man convicted of war crimes and genocide is also a serious insult to his victims, the parliamentary group in the European Parliament Socialists and Democrats assessed.
"Ratko Mladić was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity. When representatives of the authorities of a candidate country for EU membership glorify such a man after his death, the red line has been crossed," said Helmut Brandstetter, a member of the Austrian NEOS party in the European Parliament.
Members of the European Parliament adopted the Resolution on Serbia. On the other hand, Jerg Heskens has been advising Aleksandar Vučić for 13 years, and he is paid by the German government. BIRN/Spiegel presented data on his involvement from 2020 to the present day - secret meetings and plans on the "Jadar" project before and after it was halted, as well as the finances that Germany decided to support mining in the midst of student protests
"There is almost no area in which Serbia's progress has not been assessed as limited or nonexistent," says the European Parliament's rapporteur for Serbia, Tonino Picula.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said in the European Parliament that Serbia remains an important partner of the European Union, but that progress towards membership depends on the implementation of reforms and alignment with EU policies. At the same time, rapporteur Tonino Picula requested the suspension of the payment of funds from the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans
At the European Parliament's debate on Serbia, Tonino Picula and other MEPs oppose the opening of Cluster Three in negotiations with Serbia. Marta Kos believes that Serbia has made progress by passing four laws
A half-hour debate in the EP on Serbia is planned after discussions on the progress of Ukraine and Moldova in the EU accession process, which will last one hour each.
"The authorities are now bragging about the fact that we lost six months as a country with that persecution with the Venice Commission," says the former head of the Serbian Mission to the EU, Duško Lopandić.
The problems in the field of democracy, rule of law, media freedom, election conditions and relations with Kosovo were listed as key problems
In the explanation of the verdict, it is stated that MEP Andreas Schider was the target of defamation on the Novosti portal because he was part of the European Parliament's observation mission at the elections in Serbia.
Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, who were in Serbia from January 22 to 24, called on the authorities to urgently and transparently investigate allegations of disproportionate use of force and illegal surveillance of demonstrators. It was assessed that the political scene in Serbia is deeply polarized and careful monitoring of the state of democracy and the rule of law was announced
The stay of the MEPs caused reactions in Serbia, and among the conclusions of the delegation, they stated that Serbia has a perspective for EU membership, but that President Aleksandar Vučić is taking it further and further away from that path.
After a series of meetings with representatives of the government, the opposition, students, and the non-governmental sector, the head of the EU delegation who was in Serbia said that the findings are worrying.
The rector of the University of Belgrade, Vladan Đokić, said that at the meeting with the delegation of the European Parliament, the focus was on the pressures to which the academic community is exposed.
Brussels says that threats to Denmark's territorial integrity and Washington's customs pressures are undermining confidence in transatlantic relations
A delegation from the European Parliament or, as the government would say, "Piculićs and Ustashas", is arriving. What is the purpose of their trip if everything is known about the situation in Serbia?
The process of adopting a trade agreement with the United States will be temporarily suspended, after European officials assessed that the political conditions for ratification no longer exist.
MEPs vote again on no confidence in the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen
Although the members of the European Parliament mission asked to meet with Aleksandar Vučić and Ana Brnabić, those meetings will not take place
Aleksandar Vučiće told the members of the European Parliament Mission that no one called them and that they are not welcome because they are "haters of Serbia".
The informal group of judges and prosecutors "Defense of the profession" addressed the European institutions due to political pressures and a number of other problems that, as they claim, the judiciary has
Prime Minister Đuro Macut says that Serbia is very close to EU membership. The European Commission, however, does not think so
