Picula (arhiva), Foto: Screenshot/Youtube
Postponing a political solution to the “undeclared state of emergency in Serbia” could put the entire country at risk of some more serious conflicts, which could end in another tragedy, said European Parliament rapporteur Tonino Picula.
Commenting on the European Commission’s report on the progress of candidate countries, in an interview with N1 Zagreb, he said that he expects that European institution to “take off its gloves this time, or at least one glove, when talking about Serbia, which has not been the case in recent years.”
He pointed out that “if Aleksandar Vučić does not want to or does not have the capacity to implement the much-needed reforms, he has the ability to create crises in other parts of the Western Balkans at his discretion.”
Picula noted that the European Commission is the one that largely decides on the quality of the negotiations with Serbia, and even Serbia’s path towards the European Union. He assessed that the protests in Serbia will not end so easily because the situation in the country is increasingly polarized, and the authorities see the demonstrators as a threat.
“It seems to me that this is one of the stages of this civil rebellion and any delay in a political solution to this crisis, an undeclared state of emergency in Serbia, may be putting the entire country at increased risk of some serious conflicts, which could simply end in some kind of tragedy,” Picula told N1 Zagreb.
He believes that at this point there is no political solution in sight.
“The students have very clearly articulated their desire for elections to be called as soon as possible, but they simply cannot call elections themselves, that depends on the government. And it is hesitant as if it feels, above all Aleksandar Vučić, that elections at this moment are not the instrument that has helped him stay in power so many times in the last 5-6 years,” he added.
When asked whether one can currently believe in fair elections in Serbia, if they occur ahead of time, Picula said that at this moment there are many arguments for a negative answer.
“In Serbia, at this moment, there is still complete domination by the party in power, or rather, by one man who certainly has no interest in fulfilling what is expected of him, first of all by the citizens of Serbia, but then by the international community, especially the European Union, of which Serbia declaratively wants to be a part,” he said.
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