Bilcik to EWB: EU institutions can’t solve Serbia’s problems

“The problems of Serbia can never be resolved inside the EU institutions, inside the European Parliament. I hope Serbia will also move on and start constituting its own institutions,” he said, adding that the complaints and challenges noted by the international observers need to be dealt with through proper channels. “The courts and other institutions must address these,” he said in the EWB interview.

According to Bilcik, the newly elected Serbian Parliament MPs should take office and the government should be formed. “The country should address all the shortcomings through proper institutional channels,” he said.

Bilcik said the big question mark is are the local elections in Belgrade where there is a political stalemate. “I think it’s important that the challenge to the Constitutional Court is dealt with duly and that all relevant authorities are as open and as transparent as possible within the rule of law to make sure that these challenges are properly dealt with,” Bilcik said.

“I’ve been in this job of the EP Standing Rapporteur since 2019 and Serbia has not made any major progress towards the European Union membership during this time. There have been some preliminary steps, some smaller steps, just one cluster has been opened. Beyond that there has been little movement,” he said.

According to Bilcik, two things are needed for progress. “Serbia needs to have a credible and stable government and a parliament which can deliver on the important reforms: domestic reforms in the area of rule of law, democracy, media freedom, the fundamentals, but also structural reforms and institutional reforms.… Serbia needs to have full-fledged credibility of the electoral process and the electoral framework,” he added

“The institutional solutions to these questions have to be done within Serbia. If the institutions in their current state are not delivering, then they have to be reformed and changed,” he said.