Serbian PM Serbia’s European Journey Being Systematically Blocked

Djuro Macut (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

On July 25, Serbian Prime Minister Djuro Macut voiced the hope that by autumn Serbia would resume its European journey, which he said was "halted in 2021," adding that he believed that Serbia's bid to join the EU was being "systematic blocked."

Speaking for the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation in Knjazevac where the first 100 days of the government were marked, Macut said he was not very optimistic about any acceleration of Serbia's EU integration, stating that "there are a number of limiting factors and additional conditions, which definitely come from Europe."

He went on to say that as someone who had been prime minister for just three months his opinion from before taking office still held -- "that we have a systematic blocking of Serbia's accession to the European Union." "In all of the talks I have had with representatives of the EU and with ambassadors accredited in Serbia, I said I could not understand this blocking was being done nor why the free will of the country and desire to join [the EU] as soon as possible was being limited," Macut said.

He said some countries in the region had been accepted suddenly for certain "completely clear political reasons" while "other completely clear political reasons are being imposed" on Serbia. "I don't think that this a fair attitude and the EU should understand the current moment and accept Western Balkan countries as a package deal, like they did with the Eastern Balkan countries," he said.