Picula to N1: EU lacks political capacity for greater engagement in Serbia

He added that the European Parliament is “actively debating” developments in Serbia, while the European Commission and the European Council are currently “keeping one eye on the events across the Atlantic.”

Picula said he was following what was happening in the Serbian Parliament on Tuesday.

“Serbia’s current three-month-long political crisis has predictably affected the operation of the National Parliament. Protests and various forms of obstruction in parliament are common in other countries as well, but physical threats against MPs are unacceptable,” he said.

The rapporteur said it is evident that the discontent and the mass civic movement in Serbia are increasingly gaining support from the local population.

“The European Union is under pressure not only from (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his war in Ukraine, but, for the first time, it is also facing a hostile US administration, which is currently trying to delegitimize the EU,” Picula explained, adding that the EU lacks political capacity for more serious engagement in the Western Balkans and, specifically, in Serbia.

Picula emphasized that the Serbian people are the only ones who can decide on the kind of government they will have, while the EU retains the right to assess whether that government meets the necessary standards for progress in the accession process.

“For now, the EU, the Council, and the Parliament are not satisfied with the situation in Serbia,” said Picula.