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European Western Balkans
Editorial

The Parallel Universe of Ursula von der Leyen

I was present when the ambassador of the European Union stated in front of more than ten television cameras that the actions of the government were not in line with European values, announced the reduction of EU funds available to the government and its redirection to the civil sector and the media. He also mentioned the upcoming elections and said that a lot will depend on them and that citizens will decide whether they want a European future.

This performance of the ambassador really happened a few months ago, I didn’t make it up or dream it. The only thing is that it did not happen in Serbia, but in another EU candidate country – Georgia.

In Serbia, instead, we had a visit from the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who came to Belgrade last week to welcome the reform efforts of the Serbian government, saying that Serbia is one of the most advanced countries in the accession process and that “its actions follow its words.” The Commission President also said that she has seen great progress in the last five years and expressed her hope that Serbia will open a new cluster in the negotiation process by the end of the year.

Based on this, one might think that Serbia and Georgia are completely different cases and that Serbia is a bastion of European values ​​compared to this Caucasian country. That unlike Georgia, in Serbia there are no attacks on the opposition and civil society, there is no capture of the state and the media, and there is no attack on fundamental European values.

The similarities between the situation in Serbia and Georgia are actually enormous and deserve a separate article. However, what is an indisputable fact is that Serbia records a strong decline in almost all international indicators of democracy, freedom of the media and freedom of civil society. That highly controversial elections were held there, about which the European Parliament adopted a resolution in which it called for an expert mission to investigate election irregularities and, because of them, hinted at the possible denial of access to European funds to Serbia. Elections for which the government of Germany, the country that nominated Ursula von der Leyen, declared unacceptable for a candidate for EU membership.

In recent months in Serbia, we have seen arrests, intimidation and harassment of opposition and civic activists. A strong disinformation campaign led by government-controlled media against civil society, which quite literally threatens their work and safety. We have even seen announcements of the possible adoption of a law on foreign agents like the one in Georgia, which so revolted the European Union.

The statements by Ursula von der Leyen come as no surprise. On every visit from 2021 until today, we could hear her praising the reforms of the Serbian government, including those implemented by the one-party parliament without opposition. It seems that the more Serbia is regressing in terms of the state of democracy, media freedom and the rule of law, the more praise it receives from the President of the European Commission.

Of course, it should be borne in mind that the visit to Serbia came as part of a Western Balkans tour and that positive messages could be heard in other parts of the region as well. So we heard in Tirana that the reform agenda of the Albanian government is “perfect”, while in Kosovo – which is under certain diplomatic sanctions of the EU – there was talk about the successes of the Kosovo government in reforms. It is clear that these messages are intended to send positive signals to the region and to keep the enlargement process alive.

This is exactly why Ursula von der Leyen’s messages in Belgrade cannot be seen as diplomatic courtesy. The President of the European Commission came to Serbia to visit the candidate country for membership, which is expected to carry out certain reforms and ensure adequate democratic standards in order to become a member of the European Union.

As we know, Serbia is very far from that goal. The reports of the European Commission, which are themselves quite diplomatic in comparison to some other reports on democracy and the rule of law in Serbia, state that Serbia has not actually moved on the road to membership for almost 10 years, with minimal progress when it comes to preparation for membership.

That is why President von der Leyen’s rhetoric creates a parallel universe in which Serbia progresses towards membership in the European Union, successfully carries out all the necessary reforms and establishes adequate democratic standards and the rule of law.

Behind these messages is probably the desire to keep the enlargement process alive despite the obvious problems with democracy and the rule of law in the entire region and the skepticism of many in the European Union itself towards expansion into the Western Balkans. However, the damage caused by such rhetoric is enormous.

First of all, it sends a message to the citizens of Serbia that the government is indeed successfully implementing reforms and that all the blame for the stagnation in European integration lies with the member states of the European Union, which for some reason hate Serbia and do not give us the reward we deserve.

Second, the advocates of European integration in Serbia, who have been fighting for democracy and the rule of law for years and persistently repeat how these fundamental European values ​​are necessary for progress towards membership, come across as ridiculous and naive. Why should anyone believe them, and not the president of the European Commission herself, who clearly says that there is huge progress?

But rhetoric is one thing and reality is another, and it is well known that Serbia has been lagging behind in European integration for years due to the rule of law, and since two years ago due to foreign policy. That is why it would be better if, instead of parallel realities, we have only one – the one in which it will be clearly and loudly stated what Serbia needs to do in order to become a member of the European Union.

If it no longer includes democracy, then it should be said. So that the citizens of Serbia, but also the citizens of Georgia, who are waving European Union flags while defending their freedom in front of water cannons, can say what they think about such a reality.

This article was translated from Serbian.

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