European Movement in Serbia (EMinS) urges the forthcoming Government of the Republic of Serbia to unequivocally assert, through both rhetoric and substantive action, that its paramount foreign policy objective is Serbia’s accession to the European Union.
The intrinsic interest of Serbia and its society is integration into the EU, with whom we share fundamental values, as well as extensive and profound economic interdependence, which fosters a natural milieu for the country’s ongoing modernization and socio-economic advancement. Serbia is a European country and all issues and challenges it is facing imply European solutions in the scope of our natural political and economic surrounding. Hence, EU membership offers the most viable avenue for addressing the multifaceted challenges confronting Serbia in the forthcoming years and decades, encompassing energy security, environmental sustainability, regional peacekeeping, and fostering good neighbourly relations within the Western Balkans region.
EMinS strongly pleads the incoming Government to terminate protracted and systematic campaign of anti-EU rhetoric propagated for years via various media channels, which, by disseminating misinformation and half-truths, or avoiding to publish accurate information on the extent of EU support to Serbia, have detrimentally eroded public support for Serbia’s membership in the EU.
Having persistently campaigned for Serbia’s European course for over three decades, EMinS calls upon the new Government to instigate measures aimed at rectifying negative processes, which have been plaguing country’s democratic foundation for years. This entails combating the encroaching spectres of authoritarianism, constitutional and legislative transgressions, growing social disparities and legal inequalities amongst the citizens of the Republic of Serbia. In this context, ensuring free and fair electoral conditions represents one of the priorities, serving as the bedrock for both societal and national stability in the coming years.
EMinS further voices profound concerns over announcements of some government representatives hinting at a radical departure in Serbia’s foreign policy orientation, particularly those advocating alignment with BRICS, which cannot in any way represent a rational alternative to the process of accession to the European Union. Even less acceptable have been proposals to strengthen close relations with the authoritarian regime in Russia that initiated aggression and a prolonged destructive war with neighbouring Ukraine, which got it excluded for a long term from the community of peaceful European states sharing fundamental values of respect for human rights and peaceful solution of all disputes.
EMinS resolutely denounces propagation of nationalist fervour and populist discourse, often emanating from upper echelons of power, which not only affect domestic scene, but also imperil regional stability.
