Von der Leyen after meeting with Vucic: EU stands for freedom instead of oppression, including the right to peaceful assembly

The EC president said that almost two decades ago Serbia made a choice to join the EU, adding that she expects it to double down on its EU path.

“The European Union membership offer is an opportunity, it is a promise of peace, a promise of prosperity, and of solidarity, especially in times of crises. You have seen that in practice, take the energy crisis of 2022, it was triggered by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and it had a devastating impact across our entire continent, but we faced it together. The European Union extended the same measures of solidarity to our Western Balkans partners as to our own member states. This is what it means to be a reliable partner... We are connecting Serbia to the EU’s energy market. This is the true guarantee that Serbian families will be safe and warm in winter…We also invited Serbia to join the EU’s joint gas procurement mechanism,” said von der Leyen.

She emphasized that now is the moment for Serbia to take concrete steps towards accession.

“My first point is that we need to see progress on the rule of law, the electoral framework and media freedom. I know these reforms are not easy. They take patience and endurance, they must include all parts of society and the political spectrum. But they are worth the effort….They provide cornerstones for a more peaceful and stable society. I welcome the recent progress made on the unified voter register, as well as the REM Council… Implementation is key, and this is why I would like to invite you to come to Brussels in about a month’s time to take stock together,” von der Leyen said.

She also expressed expectations for greater alignment in foreign policy, including on sanctions against Russia. “I commend you for reaching 61 percent alignment with our foreign policy, but more is needed,” she said.

Under the Growth Plan for Serbia, 100 million euro in new investments has been made available for Serbia, and “more will come,” she announced. The EC president commended the Monitoring Committee, which includes representatives of the civil society organizations, which she said she would meet later on, and representatives of the government.

“Such a committee is a great signal, it sends a strong message,” she said, adding that the EU is working on Serbia’s integration into the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA).

Asked about a solution for the current situation in Serbia, von der Leyen said that this is a crucial moment for Serbia and a time for the nation to come together and strengthen the foundations of a strong, vibrant and effective democracy.

“The European Union is ready to support you in any effort where that is concerned. This is, after all, what the whole accession process is about. It is about the EU-related reforms, and these reforms should, of course, be done by taking the whole of society along… I really welcome the recent progress on the unified voter registry, and the REM Council, it has been agreed by working together with civil society organizations, the government with civil society organizations. Implementation is key, it is very good to have an agreement, now a change on the ground,” added the EC president.

Vucic said he was “proud of the democratic commitment” and behavior of the Serbian state toward protest participants, noting that over 11 months there had been 25,000 “unreported and illegal” protests, yet no one was harmed, unlike in some European countries and their police responses to demonstrators.

“When you talk about police reaction, excessive use of force – if it ever happened, it was in extreme necessity and with minimum use of force,” Vucic said.