European Green Party leaders demand public condemnation of Vucic by EU heads

A joint letter, shared on the X social media platform by European Green Party Co-Chair Vula Tsetsi, one of the targets of Vucic’s verbal attack following the extensive police intervention in Novi Sad on September 5, was addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, and President of the European Council Antonio Costa.

In addition to a public condemnation of Vucic for his “threats, intimidation, and disinformation campaign” against Vula Tsetsi and European Green Party MEP Rasmus Nordqvist, the signatories are also asking EU leaders to “monitor closely and urgently the situation in Serbia, in particular the treatment of peaceful protesters, opposition parties, and independent media.” Furthermore, they request that the leaders “reaffirm that candidate countries (for EU membership) must uphold the highest democratic standards, including freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and the protection of visiting European representatives (in Serbia).”

“The European Union cannot remain silent in the face of authoritarian rhetoric, intimidation, and disinformation. We kindly urge you to defend European values, show support for the citizens of Serbia, and convey that such threats are unacceptable,” the signatories said.

“We are writing to urgently draw your attention to a deeply concerning development in Serbia that directly affects European citizens, the country’s enlargement perspective, and members of the European Parliament and the European Green Party,” the letter reads.

The signatories further emphasize: “For the past ten months, Serbia has witnessed the most powerful civic mobilization in recent history. Citizens, students, workers, teachers, cultural figures, and above all young people, are taking to the streets to demand accountability, transparency, and democracy. These demonstrations deserve protection as in European democracy, not repression.”

The letter highlights that Serbia is, at the same time, an EU candidate country, and that “this status comes with responsibilities: to uphold democratic principles, respect freedom of speech and assembly, and guarantee the role of independent media.”

The European Greens leaders stress that their party has “always stood firmly in support of peaceful demonstrations as a cornerstone of democratic society,” and emphasize that “President Vucic’s authoritarian rhetoric and repressive actions are directly undermining Serbia’s European perspective and betraying the aspirations of its citizens for a democratic and European future.”

The signatories note that, on Friday, September 5, in a late-night televised address, President Vucic repeatedly referred to the European Green Party delegation – composed of Vula Tsetsi, Co-Chair of the European Green Party and MEP Rasmus Nordqvist, member of the European Green Party Committee – as “scum,” and explicitly threatened to prosecute them.

“These attacks followed a press conference in the National Assembly of Serbia with our Serbian member party, the Green-Left Front, and our show of solidarity with peaceful demonstrators in Novi Sad. Such personal insults, threats of prosecution, intimidation, and disinformation from the Head of State of an EU candidate country go far beyond political disagreement. They are an attack on European democracy itself, on civic freedoms in Serbia, and on the European political family,” the European Greens wrote.

The letter was signed by party Co-Chairs Ciaran Cuffe and Vula Tsetsi, by Rasmus Nordqvist, and by Co-Presidents of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, Terry Reintke and Bas Eickhout.