EU Chief Urges Serbia’s Vucic to ‘Get Concrete’ on Rule-of-Law Reforms

European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen told President Aleksandar Vucic during her visit to Belgrade on Wednesday that  “now is the moment for Serbia to get concrete” about joining the bloc. At a joint press conference with Vucic, Von der Leyen said that “we need to see progress on the rule of law, the electoral framework and media freedom” from EU membership candidate Serbia.. “I know these reforms are not easy. They take patience and endurance. They must include all parts of society and the political spectrum, but they are worth the effort because they move you closer to your goal,” she said. As months of anti-government protests continue in Serbia, von der Leyen also declared that the EU “stands for freedom instead of oppression, including the right of peaceful assembly”. The student-led protests, initially sparked by the November 2024 Novi Sad railway station disaster, which killed 16 people, are now focused on demanding early elections. Vucic has rejected the demand. At the press conference, he shrugged off criticism about allegations of heavy-handed policing of the demonstrations and said he was “proud of the democratic commitment and behaviour of the Serbian state regarding the protests”. He boasted that Serbia is “the champion of the world in terms of freedom of assembly, where you have over 25,000 criminal or illegal unauthorised assemblies that we guarded, secured and took care of the people who held them illegally”. Von der Leyen meanwhile welcomed what she said was “the recent progress made on the unified voter register, as well as the REM Council” – the Serbian media regulatory authority. “I noticed the efforts made by all to work together, including the civil society and the opposition. This is a good first step, of course. Now implementation is key, and this is why I would like to invite you to come to Brussels in about a month’s time to take stock together,” she said. However, she also nudged Serbia on its close ties to Russia. She noted that the EU “needs to see greater alignment in our foreign policy [from an EU membership candidate], including on sanctions against Russia. “I commend you for reaching 61 per cent of alignment with our foreign policy. But more is needed, and we want to count on Serbia as a reliable partner,” she said. Vucic meanwhile commented on the US sanctions on the Serbian oil company NIS, largely owned by Russia, and on a recent agreement on gas supply from Russia, which according to Vucic only lasts until the end of the year, potentially causing serious problems during winter. “I hope that regarding all the issues of importance for the energy security and energy safety of Serbia, we will have the support and the assistance from the European Union,” he said. The European Greens, European Democrats, Liberals and Democrats for Europe and the Party of European Socialists posted a critical joint statement on Facebook about the Belgrade visit on October 13, urging Von der Leyen “to stand on the side of those defending Serbian democracy, to condemn Vucic’s repression and support students and the opposition’s call for elections”. “We fear that President Vucic will use her visit to claim that he has the support of European partners,” they wrote. “We must not reward autocrats,” the parties added in their statement.