Helsinki Committee: Serbia furthest ever from the EU, Violence Increasing, Tolerance Levels Declining 

Belgrade (BETAPHOTO/ANA SLOVIC)

In 2023, Serbia had remained far away from the aspiration to join the EU, the authorities had demonstrated they had not been working on implementing reforms or democratization of the society, the growing influence of the Serbian Orthodox Church had been observed as well as historical revisionism, while tolerance levels had been declining, it was said at the presentation of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights’ annual reports on Jan. 31. 

Helsinki Committee in Serbia President Sonja Biserko said that the Serbian regime was no longer trying to fulfil any of the EU membership criteria, but had been doing only what was needed to keep it eligible for the EU funds. 

“Serbia has never been further from the EU values. The December elections revealed the essence of the regime and showed that it would not refrain from anything to stay in power. Year 2023 saw continued collapse of democratic values as well as continued and intensified tendency to employ authoritarianism. Since 2012, when the Serbian Progressive Party assumed power, Serbia has been living in constant tension and has not been able to democratize the society,” Biserko said while presenting the major remarks in the report. 

She stressed that keeping the national issue in policy focus, along with historical revisionism, anti-Yugoslav sentiment, promotion of the Chetnik movement, and the regime’s links with crime have destroyed all moral values in the society. Biserko also described the relation between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Progressives as solid cooperation which had been jeopardizing secularity of the state. She also said that the Church was contributing to reducing human rights, particularly of the minorities, while tolerance levels had been declining and violence increasing.