“Ursula von der Leyen will have to change course towards Serbia, whether she wants to or not”: MEP Irena Joveva on Brussels' policy
I was not surprised that Ursula von der Leyen did not mention Serbia in her speech, because it was not expected. But one should look at the bigger picture and the circumstances. Ursula von der Leyen has been building the image of a leader capable of guiding the EU through various crises for years, but she has experienced a serious decline in credibility. For example, she mentioned Gaza for the first time in her speech after 700 days. So, the reason for the decline in her credibility also lies in the fact that she has no position regarding Serbia," said MEP Irena Joveva.
However, as Joveva told N1, this does not change the fact that MEPs in the European Parliament, as well as Commissioner Marta Kos, who she says has changed her rhetoric towards official Belgrade, will do everything when it comes to Serbia – writes N1.
“Marta Kos has sharpened the rhetoric”
“The position of Commissioner for Enlargement Kos is her own position. Marta Kos has sharpened her rhetoric towards official Belgrade for justified reasons. If we look at the situation and everything that is happening in Serbia and Marta Kos’s statements, it is clear that von der Leyen knows very well what she is saying. And besides the fact that Ursula is always informed about what Kos will say, it actually means that something is happening, and that this is the beginning of a different official stance of the EC towards Serbia,” said MEP Irena Joveva.
She says she is certain that von der Leyen will have to make a choice between “economic and human, democratic interests,” and that the fact that she did not mention Serbia in her last speech does not mean that her position is not changing.
“I think her position is changing because Marta Kos would never make such statements about Serbia without von der Leyen being aware of them,” the MEP believes.
When asked what was crucial in influencing the change of course of MEPs, the EP and the EC towards official Belgrade, Joveva said:
“Things have gone too far in Serbia, and it simply can no longer be ignored, even by high officials of European institutions. All of this in Serbia has been going on for a long time. Ursula mentioned Gaza for the first time after 700 days, but when I say that, I do not mean that it will take her that long for Serbia. But the fact is that something is changing, which is why our pressure and the pressure of people in Serbia must not stop. As for Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, the problem is not only that he cannot control his attitudes towards MEPs. A much bigger problem is the way he treats his own people, and I think that in Europe everyone is increasingly aware of that.”
“Criticism from the EP now carries more weight”
When asked what mechanisms the EP has to pressure the regime in Belgrade and support students and citizens protesting, Joveva quoted that “politics is the art of the possible.”
“Everything is possible if there is political will. There are mechanisms in the EP and there are more things we can do, and we will. Surely there will be maybe a new resolution, some official EP mission to Serbia, pressure or monitoring of the promises made by the Serbian authorities, maybe demands regarding financial funds, some form of sanctions – everything is possible. Some of these are easier, some harder to achieve because we need approval from all 27 member states. But we must do it,” the N1 interlocutor said.
The criticism voiced by the EP, she explained, now carries more weight because the circumstances in Serbia have changed, and for the worse, and everything has gone too far.
“We now must take clear steps, set deadlines, we must not allow the authorities in Serbia to use the EU as a cover. For some individuals, economic values are still more important than democracy, even in the European Commission, but that is also changing. Because it is becoming increasingly obvious that Vučić is no longer a factor of stability, even for Ursula von der Leyen. That is no longer the case, because he has become a source of instability. Therefore, even those economic values are no longer as important. And even if von der Leyen may personally not want to change her attitude towards him, she will have to,” said MEP Joveva.
