An appeal: A democratic Serbia is a precondition for a European Western Balkans region

Serbian citizens have been deprived of access to free and independent media. Through a concerted action by media under the direct control of the ruling regime, they have been exposed to continuous anti-Western and other populist propaganda that has been in total contradiction to the government’s declared commitment to the country’s EU membership. Consequently, the citizens’ support for Serbia’s accession to the EU is at its lowest level in the last ten years, while over 65% of citizens see Russia as the country’s greatest friend. 

Undermining Serbia’s constitutional order and the separation of powers established by it, the  President of the Republic usurped the powers of the government, the National Assembly and even the judiciary. Nationalism, corruption, and organized cross-border crime have been on a steady rise. Regional relations have got strained, the Kosovo issue has reached an impasse, and Serbia’s foreign policy orientation is torn between a mimicry of the EU integration and close ties with Russia. 

The armed clash in Banjska, on 24 September and the reactions from Belgrade that followed have unveiled that the ruling regime is rarely led by the basic commitment to the values and protection of citizens’s rights but rather by the officially promoted populist opinion. By supporting the people associated with organized crime, who are under the US sanctions, and declaring them to be defenders of Serbian interests in Kosovo, Serbia’s regime builds threatening structures in Kosovo while pretending to be a constructive partner in the dialogue. Its decade-long policy, narratives and actions have created fertile soil for recent tragic events, thus destabilising the security of the whole region.  

For the last decade, the ruling regime has been a single interlocutor for our European and other international partners. This has been a pragmatic approach to talk to the acting powers in the country, hoping that this will produce positive results. Serbian citizens have been protesting in the streets for over 23 weeks because of the mass shootings that happened on the 3rd and 4th of May in the Belgrade municipalities of Vračar and Mladenovac requesting responsibility for the failure of the institutions to prevent these events and against the omnipresent state-sponsored violence and control of the media. Despite civil society and media reporting on the attacks, smears and violence initiated or tolerated by government officials, most of the EU and international partners remained silent. 

Today, it has become obvious that a policy of appeasing and cooperating with the ruling regime in Serbia will not bear fruit. For these reasons, we appeal to the European Union, its member states and other Western partners to: 

1. Reset the current policy of engaging in transactional deals with autocratic leaders, as it has sacrificed democracy in the region for the sake of achieving short-term stability.  
2. Ensure the continuation of the negotiations on normalisation of Belgrade-Pristina relations, punishment of the perpetrators of crimes and prevention of nationalist politicians from bringing the Western Balkans to the brink of yet another wave of chaos and destruction. Recognising that the risk of conflict breaking out in the region (especially in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina) is higher than ever after 1999, we expect the EU and NATO to do everything to preserve peace in the Western Balkans. 
3. Urgently engage in a structured dialogue with pro-democratic and pro-EU actors in the country and the region, creating conditions for a democratic renewal and state de-capture, both being the pre-conditions for future EU membership.  
4. Restrain from introducing general economic or other sanctions that would affect the Serbian population. Such a move would only strengthen the anti-Western narratives promoted by the regime and push Serbia closer to the Russian camp. 
5. Support efforts to ensure a level playing field in the December general elections in Serbia in order to enable conducting them as free and fair.  

 

Autonomous Women’s Centre 

Belgrade Centre for Human Rights 

Belgrade Centre for Security Policy 

Centre for Contemporary Politics 

CRTA- Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability 

Civic Initiatives  

The International and Security Affairs Centre – ISAC Fund 

European Movement in Serbia 

Partners Serbia 

Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation  

YUCOM – Lawyer’s Committee for Human Rights 

Youth Initiative for Human Rights