Belgrade, 10/31/2023

PUBLIC STATEMENT

ON THE OCCASION OF EC PRESIDENT‘S VISIT TO BELGRADE

Forum for Security and Democracy welcomes and gives great importance to the visit of the European Commission President Urusula von der Leyen to the Western Balkans and especially to Serbia. The visit of President Ursula von der Leyen is also significant in the context of concerns about the political situation in the region and the conclusions of the European Parliament and the European Council Summit from earlier this month.

FSD views the visit of the EC President wasn‘t just an incentive to political leaders in the region which she spoke with, in terms of their willingness and courage to opt for policies with a clear EU agenda and values, but also a message to the citizens of those countries that the EU is here to stay and will continue to be there as a growing investor into the EU future of their countries.

FSD wishes to emphasize how in the context of the delicate position of Serbia and Belgrade, after the Banjska incident, because of unfulfilled expectations of the domestic pro-European, regional and the EU public that the armed incident in Banjska will be swiftly investigated and those responsible promptly processed and sanctioned for this event which has done Serbia tremendous harm, the visit of Ursula von der Leyen shows that there is still a chance and possibility to overcome these unfavorable circumstances.

FSD ahead of the official start of the upcoming election campaign, which will by all accounts be harsh and divisive, stresses that it expects that neither the ruling majority nor the opposition that claim they are pro-European – when it comes to Banjska and the activities of Radoicic and his group – will be stirred by populist and frivolous calculations and that they won‘t succumb to election challenges in a way that will further undermine Serbia‘s relations with the EU and tarnish the credibility of the quality of relations with the EU.

FSD last but by no means least sees as important and encouraging the fact that at the joint press conference with the President of the EC Aleksandar Vucic, President of Serbia, took the opportunity to point out the continued growth of EU investments and their importance for Serbia, as they are a guarantee of Serbia‘s future as an EU member, and underscore that the biggest among them are investments from Germany, France and Italy – the very countries whose leaders have, after the European Summit, sent a joint message to Serbia which was both significant and indicative concerning its approach to the implementation of the agreements from Brussels as well as the agreement and annex from Ohrid, which was a pont that was also emphasized by the President of the EC in Belgrade.