site.btaSerbian President Vucic Tells EU Ambassador His Term Will End Soon, Vows to Leave Good Impression

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told the European Union’s Ambassador to Belgrade, Andreas von Beckerath, that his mandate would end soon and that, until then, he would try to leave a good impression on the European community, including through the language he uses, Serbian media reported.

He reportedly said during a joint press conference with von Beckerath, who presented him with a copy of the European Commission’s annual report on Serbia’s progress toward EU membership, that the EU need not worry much about him. Vucic added that his term would soon be over and that someone “much more charming, much kinder, who knows how to speak nicely and use a gentler narrative” would certainly take his place.

Vucic rejected the ambassador’s characterization of the report as a “mirror” of Serbia’s current state, saying instead that the document merely represented one opinion.

In September, Vucic insulted Members of the European Parliament who attended one of the ongoing anti-government protests in Serbia. The MEPs later complained that they had been offended by his remarks, in which the Serbian president referred to them as “the worst European scum”.

Following allegations of police violence during the protests and Vucic’s comments about the MEPs, the European People’s Party began discussing the status of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, founded by Vucic, as an associate member of Europe’s largest political family.

On November 1, 2024, a canopy at the railway station in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad collapsed, killing 16 people and severely injuring one. This sparked protests across the country as people believe the tragedy in Novi Sad was the result of corruption and negligence. Students blocked over 60 university faculties, and the protests grew into a mass movement. Their demands for a transparent investigation and accountability escalated in May into a call for early elections, which President Aleksandar Vucic has refused to schedule. At first, the protests were mostly peaceful, but in the summer, they escalated into clashes between law enforcement and demonstrators, who accuse the police of brutality and excessive use of force.