Picula: Serbia stalling, EC should suspend funding

Speaking during a session of the European Parliament which debated the situation in Serbia among other things, Picula said that the country made limited progress in key areas. He called the European Commission to consider suspending funding under the Western Balkans Growth Plan.

Picula said the latest report on Serbia’s progress reflected the reality of the country, adding that little or no progress had been recorded in a number of negotiating chapters.

The rapporteur criticized the state of democracy, rule of law, media freedom and the position of civil society, adding that reforms, including changes to the electoral process, had seen little progress. He also pointed to tensions between Belgrade and Pristina over security issues.

Picula added that there were problems in relations between Belgrade and Pristina on security issues.

“There is also aggressive rhetoric towards the EU, the media are not free, and civil society is being sidelined. When it comes to recommendations for reforms and their implementation, for example the reform of the electoral process, little or no progress has been recorded. The government said that accession to the Union is a strategic goal, but the facts do not support that,” he said.

Picula stressed that there has been backsliding when it comes to democracy and the rule of law and added that there is a large gap between the Serbian citizens who support the EU and political reality.

He added that Serbia had made insufficient progress over the past decade and that European standards needed to be met before further steps in the accession process.