Picula: Untrue That EP Delegation is Visiting Serbia Uninvited

Tonino Picula (BETAPHOTO/European Parliament/Fred MARVAUX)

European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia Tonino Picula said on Jan. 14 that it is untrue the EP delegation will be visiting Serbia unannounced, stating the Serbian Embassy in Brussels was notified and that the EU Delegation in Belgrade worked on developing the visit’s program.

“This is common procedure for the European Parliament. Nothing is out of the ordinary except the [Serbian government’s] reaction and the situation in the country,” Picula told Nova TV.

The main goal of the delegation, which comprises MEPs from various parties, is to “through direct conversations with those who reflect the sentiment of the Serbian people gain a more complete picture of a country where all sorts of things have transpired over the past year,” Picula explained.

The Serbian regime’s decision to boycott the visit, he added, is “avoiding facing [and] speaking with those essential to deciding on Serbia’s entry into the European Union.”

Asked whether the EU is demanding more from Serbia than from other candidate countries, Picula maintained there are no grounds for claiming the EU is unfair toward any candidate country.

“The only thing that has changed in the past year is the methodology of accession negotiations, as well as geopolitical circumstances. The former Serbia agreed to, while the latter, I’d say [Serbia] has an attitude that could be labeled disregard. For it is impossible to expect progress in negotiations while rejecting key elements of the Common European Security and Defense Policy, or maintaining regular relations with countries at war with their neighbors, or ignoring reforms of the electoral system, or curtailing media freedom,” Picula explained.

Having the Serbian government eschew meeting MEPs in Belgrade, he said, is not a new experience for him but it is for most members of the delegation.

O dolasku delegacije Europskog parlamenta u Srbiju obaviještena je ambasada Srbije u Bruxellesu, a program je predložila Delegacija EU u Beogradu.
Odbijanje sastanka i izjave Aleksandra Vučića i Ane Brnabić su političke poruke cijelom EP-u, ali i EPP-u čiji je pridruženi član… pic.twitter.com/ZGu0gfCWVI

— Tonino Picula (@TPicula) January 14, 2026

“This time, the message bears additional weight because those being snubbed are representatives of the European People’s Party, which Serbia’s ruling party in a way belongs to,” Picula stressed.

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic said he does not want to meet with the EP delegation because it is “coming [to Belgrade] uninvited.” He added he would not be in the country at the time of their visit but would not meet with them either way.

Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic, too, stated the EP delegation was coming to Serbia uninvited and that she would not meet them due to her scheduled trip to Estonia.

The EP mission will stay in Belgrade from Jan. 22 to 24, during which time Vucic will be attending the World Economic Forum in Davos.