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NCEU calls on EU institutions to respond to the systematic pressure on civil society in Serbia

Aleksandar Vučić addressing the public on 1 December 2024; Photo: FoNet

BELGRADE The National Convention on the European Union (NKEU) strongly condemns the public targeting of Maja Stojanović and the Civic Initiatives, the coordinator of the Cross-Sectoral Working Group on Freedom of Expression and Media, by the President of Serbia, which has led to daily threats and intimidation in pro-government tabloids.

NCEU also urged European Union institutions to respond to the systematic pressure on civil society and protect the level of alignment Serbia has achieved with the EU’s fundamental principles.

In its statement, the NCEU stated that false claims about her role in organizing student protests amount to pressure on the proposers and candidates involved in the selection process for the new composition of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM).

It is added that these candidates had warned of irregularities in the process led by the Committee on Culture and Information of the National Assembly of Serbia.

“Such campaigns are part of a broader attempt to delegitimize civil society and freedom of expression in Serbia. The NKEU calls on the relevant institutions to ensure the safety of all civil society activists and to put an end to such practices, thus helping to ease tensions in the midst of a deep political crisis affecting the entire society,” the statement said.

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