Mission Impossible: Will the EU remain just a dream for Serbia?
In its report on Serbia for 2022, the European Parliament, in addition to the rule of law and normalization of relations with Pristina, included as a mandatory requirement for an accession candidate country the harmonization of its foreign policy.
First of all, this applies to sanctions against Russia - they are named as a key element that will determine the country’s overall progress towards joining the EU. A PolitNavigator correspondent reports this, writes Tanjug.
The final text of the report on Serbia, prepared by rapporteur Vladimir Bilchik and including 40 compromise amendments, will be put to a vote on June 14 in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, and the final vote is expected at the plenary meeting of the European Parliament in July.
As Bilchik noted, the text of the report on Serbia could still be changed before the plenary vote in July. Following adoption at the level of the entire European Parliament, the report took the form of a resolution, which is not binding but provides political guidelines for Serbia on its European integration path.
“The Serbian authorities are called upon to truly carry out the necessary reforms and return the country to the right path of European integration, thereby realizing Serbia’s European aspirations,” the report says.
Most of the amendments affected the part of the report where relations between Serbia and Russia are described. It notes that the European Parliament “strongly regrets” that Serbia “still does not comply with EU sanctions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” and calls on the country’s newly elected authorities to “urgently agree” on sanctions against Russia and Belarus.
“We advocate that further chapters of negotiations be opened only when Serbia takes the necessary measures in this regard, as well as in the field of the rule of law,” said one of the compromise amendments presented by lawmaker Viola von Cramon.
The European Parliament also calls on Serbia to “reconsider its economic cooperation with Russia” and expresses concern about Serbia’s close cooperation with China and Russia in the military and defense spheres.
Thus, Belgrade’s European prospects become even more illusory, since any representative of the Serbian government who agrees to introduce restrictions against Moscow risks losing the people’s trust and post in the shortest possible time. Thus, according to the latest opinion polls, Russia is supported by over 82% of Serbs - this is the number of respondents who opposed the introduction of sanctions against a friendly state.
At the same time, 44% of the country's residents do not want it to join the European Union. The reason for this was unprecedented pressure on Serbia from Western states, which are trying with all their might to force it to support restrictions against Russia.
If we add here the demand to recognize the independence of Kosovo, this European mission becomes impossible.
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