Kristian Vigenin: Serbia's path to European Union membership must remain open

„Serbia is a key partner and an important part of the common future of the European Union. Its path to membership must remain open, but clearly made conditional on real progress on democracy, the rule of law, the fight against corruption, media freedom and the protection of minorities.“ This was stated in the plenary chamber of the European Parliament in Strasbourg by the head of the Delegation of the Bulgarian Socialists in the EP Kristian Vigenin. He referred to

the European Commission reports for 2023 and 2024, according to which progress has been made, but there are still serious shortcomings.

The protests in Serbia and the EU’s approach

„The most telling are the mass civic protests led recently by Serbian students. They were not only because of the victims after the collapse of a canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad, which took the lives of 16 people. They revealed a deeper public frustration with unchecked governance, the misuse of public funds and the erosion of democratic norms“, the MEP commented. He does not believe that these protests represent a threat to stability: „They are a call for stability, a call for normalisation and democratic control.“

According to Kristian Vigenin, there is no need for a fundamental change in the EU’s approach to Serbia. „We must remain clear about the values we defend. Our assessment must take into account Serbia’s complex geopolitical position. Respectful but firm communication is a better option than distancing, and that is what those hundreds of thousands of peaceful protesters expect from us“, the head of the Delegation of the Bulgarian Socialists in the European Parliament concluded.