STRASBOURG – Slovenian MEP Vladimir Prebilič (Greens/EFA) addressed the European Parliament plenary yesterday, informing the MEPs about the latest developments in Serbia following the Novi Sad tragedy on 1 November. Prebilič started his address in Serbian and, when upon being told by EP President Roberta Metsola that he was not interpreted, switched to English. His use of the Serbian language was criticized by Željana Zovko (EPP), a member of the ruling Croatian HDZ party.
At the start of his address, Vladimir Prebilič said he would speak in the Serbian language.
“On 1 November this year, at 11:52, a horrific tragedy happened in beautiful Novi Sad when a concrete canopy of the railway station collapsed. The canopy collapsed even though the station was reconstructed and an opening ceremony was held in July this year. Fifteen people lost their lives, and two were heavily injured. This has caused massive protests across Serbia…”, Prebilič said at the start of his speech.
Prebilič was then told he was not being interpreted by the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, who was chairing the session. He then continued in English.
#MEP addresses Novi Sad tragedy, protests, digital surveillance in #Serbia https://t.co/NteY0B7P4h
— N1english (@N1info) December 16, 2024
“Instead of listening to what is happening in the streets, the authorities deployed Pegasus and other software to hear what the protesters are talking about. This is a clear interference of the authorities in the freedom of speech. So this is important to tackle. Thank you very much”, Prebilič concluded.
The speech was reported by the Serbian media and welcomed by the representatives of the opposition parties.
The latest developments in Serbia
Following the tragic collapse of the canopy in Novi Sad, political tensions have risen in Serbia and multiple protesters have been held. A part of the public does not believe that all those who were responsible for the incident will be held accountable, while the opposition is demanding the resignation of the government.
The latest development in the country includes a large-scale student mobilization which led to the suspension of lecturing at the majority of faculties in Serbia, including all faculties belonging to the Universities of Belgrade and Novi Sad. On Tuesday, a large student protest was held in front of the Assembly of Vojvodina, during the session on the 2025 budget.
Studenti su ispred Skupštine Vojvodine. Protest je u toku.#NoviSad pic.twitter.com/4Uk6ajCK2M
— Radio 021 (@Radio021) December 17, 2024
In addition to sending light on the circumstances which led to the tragedy, the students are demanding responsibility for individuals who have been physically attacking students during their protest gathering, some of whom were identified as members of the ruling party.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International released a report yesterday that claims that Serbian police and intelligence authorities are using advanced phone spyware alongside mobile phone forensic products to unlawfully target journalists and NGO activists.
The authorities dismissed the accusations, while pro-government newspapers described the Amnesty report as a part of a hybrid war waged against Serbia.
Zovko criticizes the use of Serbian
Following the speech of Vladimir Prebilič, Croatian MEP Željana Zovko (EPP) raised the point of order because of his use of the Serbian language.
“I consider this a real provocation because Serbia is not a member of the European Union and there is no Serbian language here”, Zovko said.
In responses to Zovko’s post on X, multiple commentators pointed out that, due to the similarities between the Serbian and Croatian languages, the address was understandable to the speakers of both.
Srbija nije članica Europske unije i srpski jezik nije službeni jezik u Europskom parlamentu. Zato sam danas intervenirala na plenarnoj sjednici na provokaciju slovenskiog zastupnika Prebiliča iz redova Zelenih, koji je zatražio da se zastupnicima obrati na srpskom jeziku vezano… pic.twitter.com/7syJB7ou92
— Željana Zovko (@ZovkoEU) December 16, 2024
Zovko’s reaction was widely reported in the regional media, including the media from Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia. Slovenian media close to its opposition described it as an “embarrassment” for Prebilič.
On the same day of Zovko’s intervention in the plenary, a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Željko Komšić sent a letter to EP President Roberta Metsola, warning that Zovko was interfering in the internal affairs of BiH. He referred to the recently re-surfaced speech by Zovko from May 2024, in which she asked Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković to “deliver the Presidency of BiH” to the Croatians.
In reaction to the letter, Zovko stated that she meant for Plenković to “deliver the Presidency” through diplomatic means and that her aim is for the Croatian people of BiH to have a legitimate representative in the Presidency.