BRUSSELS – Following screenings in Graz, Berlin and Vienna, the documentary „The Time of Stabilitocracy“, produced by the European Western Balkans, was showcased at the European Parliament in Brussels.
The documentary, which premiered in 2022, analyses the relationship between EU integration and democratization in the Western Balkans, as well as the phenomenon of “stabilitocracy“, undemocratic rule with international support thanks to the promise of stability.
Nikola Burazer, one of the author of the documentary, said that there is a strong expectation that the EU should do something in Serbia.
„The people that are protesting are the pro-European part of the society. What is clear, this Serbian government will not stop capturing the state and create conditions for free and fair elections. It will only stop when there is pressure, internal and external. External pressure should not be in the form of blackmail and sanctions, but a clear message that a candidate country should respect the European standards“, Burazer said.
Filip Lukić, author of the documentary and N1 journalist, stated that a lot of people made comparisom with the 90s december election.
„I was 3 years old in 1996 when fraud happened. And I was wondering how did we fell in the same trap. In 2012, the same politicians who are now in power in Serbia. Back then, they knew they could not win the elections without European idea. Now, 12 years later, they believe they can“, he said.
Speaking about the situation in Serbia after the December elections, Srđan Cvijić President of the BCSP International Advisory Committee and BiEPAG member, said that Serbia maybe is not at the and of stabilitocracy, but „we have the opportunity to end it“.
„We have heard several times irregularities to describe fraud in the elections. It is as if you would describe an armed robbery as a pickpocketing. This is the golden opportunity for the EU to win back hearts and minds of Serbian citizens“, Cvijić said.