• 2025-02-04

NCEU sent a letter to the President of the EC: EU should not turn its backs on Serbian citizens

Program Council of the National Convention on European Union

Dear Ms. von der Leyen,

Serbia is currently experiencing a serious political and social crisis, which deepens by the day. The tragic accident in Novi Sad on November 1st last year, in which 15 people lost their lives, sparked a wave of student protests. They believe that the accident was a direct consequence of severe corruption during the reconstruction of the Railway Station building. This is just one of many infrastructure projects that remain non-transparent to the public under the pretext of international cooperation agreements. For three months now, mass peaceful street protests, led by students from all universities in Serbia, have been taking place, at times gathering over 100,000 citizens and effectively bringing other processes in the country to a halt. The most recent consequence of this movement has been the resignation of the Prime Minister and the fall of the Government of the Republic of Serbia following the physical violence on students by members of the ruling party in Novi Sad.

Given the previous responses from both the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the European Union to this mass social movement, we wish to emphasize that these protests are neither an attempt at a “violent overthrow of the government” and“orchestrated revolution”, nor are they a consequence of Russian influence or interference in Serbia’s internal affairs. The fact is that majority of the protest participants are pro-European oriented citizens of our country, including numerous members of the National Convention. The protests are an authentic expression of young people’s demands to restore the jurisdiction and responsibility of institutions. This demand has mobilized and united Serbia’s divided society. The widespread social protest shaking Serbia is a reaction to systemic problems in our society, which have been repeatedly noted in the reports of the National Convention and the European Commission’s annual reports, particularly concerning the erosion of the rule of law, systemic corruption, and political influence on the judiciary.

These protest demands clearly demonstrate that Serbia’s EU accession process has so far failed to resolve the fundamental issues the country, as a candidate for membership, is facing. The National Convention has repeatedly pointed out to the Serbian Government, other senior government representatives, and the European Commission the lack of transparency and inclusiveness in the European integration process, as well as numerous missed opportunities to improve alignment with the fundamental principles of the European Union.

For this reason, we believe that the current conditions do not allow us to continue participation in activities related to Serbia’s EU accession process that involve cooperation with political decision-makers whom we hold responsible for the state of the European integrations. However, we remain open forcommunication at the level of working groups for individual chapters, in accordance with their decisions, with professional civil servants in public administration, with whom the National Convention has always successfully cooperated in joint efforts to advance and accelerate Serbia’s accession process – even when political will was lacking. Aware that many among them support the legitimate demands of students and Serbian citizens for a just and orderly society, we are confident that, once this crisis is overcome, we will continue to work together with them towards Serbia’s accelerated path to EU membership.

Therefore, we believe that the European Commission and its representatives should not turn their backs on Serbian citizens in these circumstances. They should approach Serbia and its institutions with due consideration for the current extraordinary social and political situation. A democratic Serbia, with strong institutions that uphold the rule of law and human rights, is in the interest of the EU and its member states – if the sincere intention is for Serbia to join in the coming years.

For all these reasons, we urge you to publicly and openly acknowledge the existence of a political and social crisis in Serbia and to insist that the authorities of the Republic of Serbia ensure timely and lawful actions by all relevant institutions in accordance with their competencies. This includes the Serbian Government, parliamentary committees, the prosecution, the judiciary, and independent institutions such as the Ombudsman. Given that these civic protests are inherently democratic and anti-corruption in nature and advocate for the protection of fundamental EU values, we call on you and the entire European Commission to recognize the demands of the protests as legitimate and pro-European, as well as the relevant actors articulating those demands. If the EU fails to contribute to resolving Serbia’s political and social crisis in this manner, there is a real risk of further diminishing the already weakened credibility and reputation of the EU among Serbian citizens.

Yours sincerely,

Program Council of the National Convention on European Union

Source: NCEU