The rapporteur for Serbia in the European Parliament, Tonino Picula, has stressed that the European Union institutions need to have a clearer approach towards Serbia, while criticizing the leaders of the Council and the European Commission for different positions. He stressed that the European institutions need to see what is happening in Serbia and that Serbia and its president, Aleksandar Vučić, are “taking steps back in terms of democratic standards.”
Picula added that the idea of a “Serbian world” is dangerous, while saying that the Western Balkans belong to the EU and “not to imaginary projects under the umbrella of Serbia,” N1 reported.
“Why is the European Parliament the only EU institution that critically examines the situation in Serbia? Others, such as the European Commission and partly the European Council, have different approaches. Why? It would be good to address the leaders of these institutions. We need to level and standardize the approach towards Serbia because the EU is not only a community that shares important characteristics such as the common market and currency – it is also a community of common values and risks. And I do not see the Serbian leadership following these values – they are more interested in European funds,” he said.