
The European Parliament (EP) concluded Tuesday the debate on Rapporteur Vladimir Bilcik’s Report on Serbia.
The document was adopted last month by the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), however, another 11 written amendments and one oral amendment to the report were submitted in the meantime.
EP Rapporteur for Serbia Vladimir Bilcik filed the oral amendment following last week’s tragic events in Serbia, along with the message that the European Parliament most strongly condemns the mass killings in Serbia and, as a sign of grief and solidarity, calls for a thorough investigation.
N1 reporter said the Report sends out a number of messages – along with the usual commendation for the holding of elections and the opposition’s return to the Parliament, the key messages are that integration will depend on a number of factors: strengthening of democracy, rule of law, fight against corruption, normalizing of relations with Kosovo and foreign policy alignment.
Despite Telekom’s lobbying, this company is, after all, mentioned in the Report as a company suspected of abusing its market dominance, which is being used by the government to increase its influence on the media, said the N1 reporter. Also criticized is the award of national broadcasting licenses to television stations that have violated the journalists’ code of ethics, the opening of Russia Today in Serbia as well as the appointment of Aleksandar Vulin as the director of the Serbian Security Information Agency (BIA).
“Fundamental decisions are needed for fundamental progress. This is the basic message of the Report. This concerns the area of domestic reforms, particularly when it comes to the rule of law, the strengthening of the judiciary, fight against organized crime and corruption and strengthening of the independent media environment,” said Rapporteur Bilcik.
“The overall pace of accession negotiations will continue to depend on Serbia’s progress in the area of the rule of law, as it is enshrined in the new methodology. Serbia’s non-alignment with the European Union (EU) common foreign and security policy on sanctions against Russia is, of course, a serious issue,” said European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi.
“The state of the media is dismal, and the dominant position of the state-owned Telekom, whose business practices are in terms of competition unusual, is being reinforced. This reflects the position of the regulatory institutions, including the REM, which remain enforcers rather than supervisors and decision-makers. The cause lies in the fact that the current Serbian leadership is comfortable with this state of affairs. There is no sincere desire to move closer to joining the EU and thus improving the well-being of its citizens. For them the EU is merely one of the stages on which internal and foreign policy battles are fought,” said Klemen Groselj MEP.
N1’s reporter said positive tones could be heard during the debate, but there were also sharp comments, mostly by Croatian MEPs who complained about the drop in support for the EU, dismissal of prosecutors, Telekom’s dominance. Also noted was that the REM is working for the government and suspicion was voiced that the actions of the Serbian government are such that they do not lead the country toward the EU but rather just use the EU as an ATM.
The report will be put to vote on Wednesday.