Reljic: EU Must Finally Warn Vucic and Stop Sabotaging Protests in Serbia

Dusan Reljic (Beta/Milos Miskov)

The European Union’s leaders must finally find the courage to issue a clear warning to President Aleksandar Vucic and stop ignoring the mass protests in Serbia, especially now that even Russia has realized how unreliable an ally Vucic is, Dusan Reljic, an expert on the Balkans, writes.

Vucic is expected to travel to Brussels on March 25 to meet with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa. The question is whether von der Leyen will address Vucic as "dear Aleksandar" over dinner, as she usually does, praising his successful democratic reforms, or whether she will at least find some words of warning for the Serbian autocrat, behind closed doors at least, Reljic wants to know in an opinion piece for the Berlin-based portal table.media.

Reljic has recalled that that more than thirty members of the European Parliament have expressed "deep concern" in their letter to von der Leyen, questioning her decision to meet with  Vucic at this moment, ignoring Serbia’s democratic backsliding. The expert argues that the people of Serbia should receive a loud and clear message that "Brussels is on their side in their unprecedented fight for the rule of law, democracy, and accountability."

The article goes on to say that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has recently had a private meeting with President Vucic, during which he "kindly ignored that Vucic and his subordinates were almost daily accusing Western intelligence agencies, EU country embassies, and NGOs of being behind the protests."

"Is it a tactic to confuse opponents or sheer audacity when, according to Belgrade media reports, Vucic complains to Western politicians that Russia is orchestrating the protests against him? The Serbian president has taken his balancing act between Brussels, Moscow, and Beijing to its peak," writes Reljic.

Having underlined that many unresolved issues remain in the former Yugoslavia, for which the EU bears part of the responsibility, Reljic cautions that it should be clear to both the EU and NATO that "these problems cannot be solved with Vucic and other enemies of democracy." "Especially not if the West sabotages the Serbian people's great struggle for freedom and democracy by ignoring it," Reljic concludes.