site.btaEvery Crisis in Serbia Has Potential to Spread to Whole Western Balkans, Says Opposition MP Grbovic

Speaking to European journalists here on Tuesday,  Serbian MP Pavle Grbovic, Chairman of the opposition Movement of Free Citizens (PSG), said that the situation in Serbia should not be underestimated, because it is the largest country in the Western Balkans, and any crisis that occurs in Serbia has great potential to spread to the region - to Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and especially Kosovo. Grbovic met with journalists at the European Parliament (EP) together with his colleague Natan Albahari, a former MP and current secretary of the Free Citizens Movement. The meeting between the two representatives of the Serbian opposition was facilitated by MEP Helmut Brandstetter from the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament.

Grbovic noted that there are many people in Serbia who have been or still are disappointed with the European Union's approach to the country because many have lost faith that Serbia will ever become an EU Member State of the EU, as the process is taking too long. "Many feel that the EU is willing to sacrifice democracy in Serbia. So people feel that they are alone, that no one in Europe actually cares about human rights, freedom of speech, freedom of the media, independent institutions," he noted. "It is very important for us to hear a clear response from the institutions. We heard it in the European Parliament, but we also hope to hear it from the European Commission, from the executive branch of the European institutions," he added.

According to Grbovic, people in Serbia are no longer afraid of the political regime. "It is very important for us at the moment - and this is why the EU's support is so important for Serbian society - what will happen to Serbia after the regime. We believe that under normal circumstances, Serbia will choose a European future," he concluded.

Albahari noted that the European Parliament Tuesday approved the possibility of sending a fact-finding mission to Serbia. "This is something that is extremely important for pro-European voters - to hear that European institutions such as the EP, and hopefully the European Commission, will take a proactive approach and distance themselves from typical statements such as 'we see good reforms, potential, we want to work with President [Aleksandar] Vucic," he said.

According to Albahari, Vucic is not interested in the European Union. "He treats the Union like an ATM to finance his projects, his development, to demonstrate that he is economically strong, but the value base is completely missing. Mr. Vucic's position on Russia is extremely disturbing. Serbia, as you know, has not introduced any restrictive measures against the Russian Federation," Albahari said. According to him, the government of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party has for more than a decade been "playing on both sides, taking one step forward and two steps back."

"Mr. Vucic is known for creating crises - whether in Kosovo, in the region or in Serbia - and then quelling those crises and telling his European partners: 'Well, only I can solve this,' after which he receives applause, and they think that this is progress. Serbia is in stagnation, and we must pull Serbia out of this stagnation and make it really move forward towards the European Union," said the Serbian MP.

Grbovic and Albahari emphasised that although the student movement in Serbia has been at the heart of the large-scale protests over the last ten months, it is not a political movement. "What is the position, what is the role and the main task of the opposition party? To create something that complements these movements and that can offer a clear solution and a clear vision for Serbia afterwards. And that is why we are here in Strasbourg, here in the European Parliament. To show that these political forces exist in Serbia," Grbovic underscored.

Albahari added that it is extremely important to restore the understanding that the government can be changed through the ballot box. "If we want to protect Serbian democracy and ensure that the Western Balkans remain stable and democratic, we need a stable and democratic Serbia in order for the entire region to progress," he added.