In the language Brussels It's called bureaucracy. fact-finding mission - fact-finding mission. Whatever it is called, it is clear that the visit of the delegation from of the European Parliament (EP) on Friday and Saturday is not routine and not insignificant.
"Vreme" in the new issue, which is on newsstands from Thursday (January 22), analyzes the scope of the visit of the team from Strasbourg.
Even before they came, they received insults from the top of the government. Reporter Tonino Picula did particularly poorly. In the parliamentary debate, all those who welcomed him were labeled as "traitors, little people and Ustashas".
Deputies of the ruling coalition competed to better paraphrase Aleksandar Vučić's statement that "he has no intention of wasting time with them." The President of Serbia will be in Davos, while Ana Brnabić will visit Estonia.
Declarations are less important.
As Bojana Selaković, coordinator of the National Convention on the EU, told Vreme, such missions are rare. It is not important, he believes, whether any declaration will come out of the visit, but how the attitude of the European Parliament towards Serbia will be shaped in the coming period.
"The EP does not make executive decisions, but its resolutions and political messages have a strong influence on the perception of Serbia in the EU and on the attitudes of the member states. This is precisely why downplaying the importance of this mission represents either a misunderstanding of the role of the European Parliament or a deliberate deception of the public," adds Selaković.
The basis for the visit is the EP resolution from the end of October. The mission aims to assess the state of democracy on the ground, ongoing protests, attacks on protesters and repression targeting students, academics, educators and public sector employees.
Nataša Dragojlović, who was the coordinator of the Convention from 2014 to 2022, tells "Vreme" that the mission did not even have to come.
"Everything is already known about the state of democracy and human rights in Serbia. Thousands of pages of analyzes and reports are already at their disposal. But if a decision has already been made that they want to come, then all actors, both parliamentary, governmental and non-governmental, should use the visit in the best possible way," says Dragojlović.
Meetings with all the living
The opposition say that the arrival is important and that it would not have been possible without their work. They hope that the European Union will understand that they cannot count on the government of Aleksandar Vučić.
Some analysts especially emphasize the importance of persuading the largest European family of parties - the European People's Party. The Serbian Progressive Party also belongs to it.
In addition to the opposition - both pro-European and national - a colorful group from the European Parliament will meet on Friday and Saturday with members of the ruling coalition, as well as the ministers for European integration and foreign affairs.
Then with representatives of non-governmental organizations, media associations and media, from Tanjug and RTS to Nova S, and universities.
Read the entire article in the new issue of "Vremena" from Thursday, January 22. IIor subscribe now to printed or digital edition
