BOS: Out of 18 Election Tickets, Eight Have a Positive Stance on European Integration Process

Serbia, Eu flags (BETAPHOTO/European Commission/Etienne Ansotte/MO)

Out of eighteen election tickets that citizens will choose from on April 3, eight have a positive stance on the Serbia's European integration process and at least declaratively recognize European values as an essential part of their political objectives, the Belgrade Open School (BOS) said on March 31.

"The bulk of coalitions have harmonized stances on European integrations. The exception is the 'Aleksandar Vucic - Together We Can Do It All' in which the dominant party, the Serbian Progressive Party, views the EU as an ideal, while the Serbian People's Party led by Nenad Popovic is clearly Eurosceptic," the statement said.

BOS stresses that the programs of several parties do not contain foreign policy elements based on which one could conclude that they are pro-European which is the case with the "Boris Tadic - Let's Go People," ticket given that the "One of the Five Million" movement has not taken a stance on Serbia's membership in the EU, while the other coalition partners believes that membership is a crucial foreign policy goal for Serbia.

"Four election tickets are explicitly against Serbia's membership in the EU: 'Dr Vojislav Seselj - The Serbian Radical Party,' 'Dr Milos Jovanovic - Hope for Serbia,' 'The Sovereignists' and the 'Patriotic Bloc for Renewing the Kingdom of Serbia.' The 'We Must' coalition and the "Mufti's Testament - The Party of Justice and Reconciliation' do not have clear stances on European integrations, while the "Oath-Keepers' are the only Eurosceptic option," BOS stressed.