External, Internal Circumstances Need to be Aligned for Membership in the EU
Different levels of cooperation and integration within the EU have become a part of European integration, and Serbia's speed on the road to membership will depend on external but above all internal factors, the participants of a May 10 conference called The EU's Current Challenges said. Faculty of Political Science professor Jovan Teokarevic said at the conference, which was organized at the EU Info Center by the European Movement in Serbia, that the chief obstacles to Serbia's faster integration with the EU were both internal and external in character. Serbia, he said, had, after an ambitious and optimistic enlargement strategy from February, received several wake-up calls, including a statement by French President Emmanuel Macron that there would be no enlargement until the EU was reformed from within and connectedness as the main topic of the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia. "Where the rule of law is concerned, we will not be able to join the EU for a long time, as throughout the region we have potentates and we are not meeting European standards, and everyone who will decide our fate sees this," Teokarevic said at the conference. Milos Eric, dean of the Faculty of Economy, Finance and [...]
European Movement in Serbia Marks Europe Day with Drive in Central Belgrade
On Europe Day, May 9, the European Movement in Serbia held a traditional drive in central Belgrade, during which members of the Movement's Youth Forum distributed information and promotional materials and talked with the public about possibilities for inclusion and for contributing to positive changes in society. The motto of this year's observance of Europe Day was "Messages to Europe", and it invited the people of Serbia to participate in the discussion about Europe and with Europe. The president of the European Movement in Serbia, Mr. Mihailo Crnobrnja, said that Euro-skepticism was strong in Serbia and in Belgrade. "Almost 40 percent of students are against EU membership. They believe Russia to be Serbia's first and most important friend. They also believe that the EU is not fair to Serbia and that it constantly imposes new rules against Serbia. There is an impression that the EU is anti-Serb orientated, which is not true," Crnobrnja said. The general secretary of the Movement, Ms. Suzana Grubjesic, stressed that Europe relied on three pillars: democracy, the rule of law and human rights, and that, as soon as one of them is shaky, the entire structure begins shaking. "Nowadays in Europe, the biggest [...]
Europe Day in Serbia: Messages for Europe
The European Movement in Serbia (EMinS) will this year mark Europe Day, 9 May, with a number of events – a debate on the current challenges facing the European Union, a premiere screening of the French film Lumière, as well as with traditional outdoor events and debates throughout the country. This year’s Europe Day celebration is taking place a few days before the summit of the EU and the Western Balkan countries in Sofia, where the European and regional leaders are expected to pledge the implementation of joint activities, the aim of which would be a more effective handling of current challenges, such as migration, security, geopolitical development, and good neighbourly relations. Given that the topics of connections between the EU and the region and connectivity within the region itself will dominate the upcoming summit, Messages for Europe as the leitmotif of this year’s Europe Day events invite citizens to a broader dialogue on Europe and with Europe. We are opening the series of events we are organising in association with the European Movement International and the Network of the European Movement in Serbia on Wednesday, 9 May, in Belgrade’s Republic Square, where the traditional Street Action will [...]
