Jeremic: EU Supports Vucic Regime Because It Provides Excuses Against Enlargement

Vuk Jeremic, Conference Bologna CIRSD (BETAPHOTO/CIRSD/EV)

Vuk Jeremic, the president of the Centre for International Relations and Sustainable Development (CIRSD), has stated that the EU has no intention of expanding in the foreseeable future and that, therefore, incumbent Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's regime "suits the EU perfectly" because its behavior provides the Union with a constant stream of reasons against admitting new members.

"This is one of the reasons Vucic enjoys the support of Europe, which, unfortunately, has chosen to act dishonestly and pretends to be serious about enlargement, while the [Western] Balkan countries pretend to be implementing the reforms necessary for membership," Jeremic said at a recent conferences in Bologna, organized by John Hopkins University and titled "The Balkans and the Great Powers", the CIRSD has announced.

"This dishonesty has led to the formation of hybrid regimes, which cannot become a part of the EU under any circumstances. The enlargement process has lost credibility," added Jeremic, who is also the president of the People's Party.

Jeremic further recalled how European Council President Charles Michel recently congratulated Vucic on the progress that Serbia had achieved on its path toward the EU and on the country's "devotion to reforms." "The EU is pretending that the enlargement process is alive and well because it fears that Russia could otherwise achieve significant influence in the region, but it is precisely [the Union's] pretense that has led to the loss of credibility," Jeremic explained.

He added that what the Western Balkan states need is to find a model that encourages true reforms, enabling them to one day resemble modern European countries -- at which point it will not matter whether or not they are EU members. "Maybe the doors of accession will open again in ten years, but it won't be a tragedy even if they don't, so long as we've implemented reforms," Jeremic concluded.