EU: Ursula von der Leyen’s Meeting With Vucic Will Not Be Cancelled

Ursula von der Leyen, Belgrade, Oct. 25 2024 (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC)

A meeting between the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will not be cancelled, despite a request by 31 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), because it is seen as an opportunity to discuss the issues raised by MEPs, EU spokesperson Paula Pinho said on March 21. 

Pinho, the chief spokesperson for the European Commission, told reporters in Brussels that the EU was "closely monitoring" the situation in Serbia and encouraging all stakeholders, including civil society, "to find a way to advance the reforms necessary for the country's European future." 

"Among other things, this too will be a topic of the discussion between President Vucic and President Von der Leyen," Pinho explained when asked whether the meeting would be cancelled following the MEPs' appeal. When asked again whether the Commission had received a letter from the MEPs and whether Von der Leyen would cancel the meeting with Vucic, Pinho confirmed that the letter was received and that the meeting was seen as "an opportunity to discuss the issues" raised in the appeal. 

A group of MEPs from various political factions in the European Parliament urged Von der Leyen last week to reconsider her meeting with Vucic, and instead send a clear message that Serbia needed a transitional government. The MEPs warned in the letter that the EC president's meeting with Vucic this week was sending a disconcerting and harmful signal, given the depth and severity of the political crisis in Serbia.