Picula: Serbia’s Next Elections Crucial for EU-Serbia Dynamics

Tonino Picula (BETAPHOTO/European Parliament/Fred MARVAUX)

The European Parliament’s (EP) rapporteur for Serbia, Tonino Picula, said on July 15 that the next elections in Serbia would be crucial for the future EU-Serbia dynamics.

“It seems the important criterion in assessing Brussels’ future approach to Belgrade will be the elections. Their preparation, carrying out and the post-election period, which I believe will be the crucial event in the future dynamics between the EU and Serbia,” Picula told Television N1.

He added that he viewed the EP’s resolution on Serbia as consistent with the events in the country. “We will see in the near future if the European Commission would maintain its critical stance, or if particular interests would prevail, primarily motivated by the interests of some very influential member countries,” Picula stated.

He went on to say that the proposal of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic about the entire Western Balkans joining the EU at the same time was “an attempt to collectivize something that cannot be made so.” “At attempt to collectivize something that cannot be made so, because there are currently ten candidates in the EU waiting room and differences between them are too large to be ignored, or for planning some new ‘big bang’. I think that cannot happen, especially with the six potential candidates in the Western Balkans. The situation in which Serbia does not have sufficient results to advance is not the assessment of just the EP, but also of a significant number of member states,” Picula said.