Serbian Speaker in Brussels: Irresponsible Opposition Also to Blame for Erosion of Trust in Institutions

Ana Brnabic (BETAPHOTO/MILAN ILIC)

Serbian Speaker Ana Brnabic said during a Sept. 12 briefing on Serbia’s EU integration in Brussels, that the responsibility for the erosion of trust in state institutions rested not only on the government, but also the opposition, which she accused of behaving irresponsibly.

“I always believe that government is mostly responsible, but not the government alone. For a democratic country to be successful, at least four components are needed, and one of them is the opposition. In a parliamentary democracy you cannot have an opposition that says ‘no’ to everything, that refuses to participate in dialogue, that has no capacity to acknowledge when the government does something good,” Brnabic said at the briefing held at the Mission of Serbia to the EU.

During the briefing, scheduled after the Brussels-based think tank the European Policy Center canceled its briefing with Brnabic, the Serbian speaker said that protesting citizens, the opposition, and independent media were the main culprits for the state of play in Serbian society, while describing President Aleksandar Vucic’s government as democratic, pro-European, and “ready for dialogue.”