BELGRADE – The European Parliament’s fact-finding mission, which arrived in Serbia last night, began today’s meetings at the National Assembly, where it met with members of the ruling majority and the opposition. While opposition MPs presented their expectations regarding the EU’s next steps in relation to the crisis in Serbia, members of the ruling parties criticised the European Parliament for, as they assessed, a lack of objectivity.
The European Parliament fact-finding mission is visiting Serbia from 22 to 24 January 2026, with most of its activities scheduled for today. The mission was sent by the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET).
Among the members of the mission, which is led by Portuguese MEP Marta Temido (S&D), are representatives of several political groups in the European Parliament, including the European People’s Party, the Socialists and Democrats, Renew Europe, the Greens, and the European Conservatives and Reformists. The mission also includes the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Serbia, Tonino Picula.
In addition to MPs, the mission is expected to meet today with representatives of the media, civil society, and the academic community, as well as with representatives of the Government of the Republic of Serbia. A meeting with the diplomatic missions of EU member states in Serbia is also expected.
Despite claims by the ruling majority that they would not do so, MEPs visited the exhibition on Jasenovac
Members of the European Parliament delegation, after talks with Deputy Speaker of the Serbian National Assembly Elvira Kovács, visited the exhibition on Jasenovac together with her in the central hall of parliament.
The exhibition ‘Jasenovac – A Lasting Warning’ was set up in the parliament of Serbia recently, ahead of the visit of the MEPs. Jasenovac was a concentration and extermination camp operated by the Ustaša regime in the Independent State of Croatia during World War II. Tens of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Roma, and anti-fascist Croats were murdered in the camp.
The day before the visit of the EP delegations, MPs from the parliamentary majority had accused the EU delegation, and Tonino Picula from Croatia in particular, of planning to deliberately refuse to see the exhibition on Jasenovac.
Almost all front pages of today’s pro-government daily newspapers also reported that European MPs had refused to view the exhibition.
Nevertheless, the MEPs did visit the exhibition in the parliament.
“The foundations of the European Union are based on antifascism, and I have no problem at all with viewing an exhibition about Jasenovac,” said Picula to journalists after visiting the exhibition
Opposition expresses expectations from the EU, ruling parties describe the EP as biased
At their meeting with the MEPs, representatives of five pro-EU opposition parties in the Serbian National Assembly called on the European Parliament to remain continuously engaged in resolving the crisis in Serbia through snap parliamentary elections that would be free and fair, said Radomir Lazović, head of the parliamentary group of the Green–Left Front.
At a press conference following the meeting, Lazović said that a demand had been put forward for Serbia to be conditioned by the withdrawal of funds from the European Commission’s Growth Plan on the structural implementation of reforms.
Borko Stefanović, Deputy President of the Freedom and Justice Party, thanked the European Parliament delegation for their visit and the discussion, adding that they are not expected to change the government, as that is the task of citizens and the opposition.
“Respecting good diplomatic practice, I will convey to you the words of a high-ranking member of the delegation without naming them: that it is important for everyone, and especially for the most significant political groups in the European Parliament, to determine whether the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is for or against the EU, whether they support democracy, and whether they have a clear and precise position on the war in Ukraine, that is, on the Russian Federation,” Stefanović said, adding that SNS does not meet the criteria in any of these areas.
Meanwhile, Marina Raguš, Vice-Speaker of the parliament and member of the ruling SNS, stated that during the meeting between the ruling coalition and the MEPs, a protest was voiced over what she described as the lack of objectivity of the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Serbia, Tonino Picula, along with a demand that he be replaced, assessing that his stance is predetermined.
Speaker of parliament Ana Brnabić did not meet the EP mission as she was in Tallinn, Estonia, for an official visit. However, she gave a statement to the Serbian media, assessed that the purpose of the EP delegation’s visit to Belgrade is not to establish any facts, but rather to support the opposition.
