The center-left opposition would bring Serbia into the EU by 2030, but would not recognize Kosovo

Állítsd be a Google‑t, hogy a BALK mindig kéznél legyen!

The center-left opposition party, the Freedom and Justice Party (Stranka slobode i pravde, SSP), has adopted a statement declaring their commitment to bringing Serbia into the European Union by 2030. The party leader, Dragan Đilas, stated during the party’s main committee meeting that they consider this not only a goal, but a „political mission” towards future generations, and emphasized that only they can guarantee this for Serbia. However, in an interview with N1 TV, he also stated that they would not recognize Kosovo’s independence nor support its UN membership.

Are they on a political mission(?)

Đilas expressed that his party sees Serbia’s accession to the European Union not only as a goal, but as a „political mission” during the SSP’s main committee meeting.

-We can do it! Serbia in the EU by 2030! We will achieve this goal together with the citizens of Serbia

– declared the leader of the Serbian opposition party. He believes that Serbia has never been farther away from Europe than it is today, and it is therefore necessary to „reverse course” towards Europe.

Đilas indicated that his party would like to fully align Serbia’s foreign policy objectives with those of the European Union, which would also mean imposing sanctions on Russia.

– The Freedom and Justice Party remains a meeting point for all democratic, progressive, and responsible political actors in the country

– said Đilas, who accused the government of impoverishing the country’s population.

– A bad government doesn’t want a people that lives in prosperity, but rather a people that hopes to one day become prosperous because hope is all a bad government can offer in the absence of a well-functioning society

– declared Đilas, who believes that injustice has become an institutionalized category in Serbia.

Will Kosovo be recognized or not

Before Serbia can join the European Union, it must close all accession chapters with the EU, which would include the adoption of Chapter 35. This chapter includes the resolution of relations between Serbia and Kosovo, and as stated by Josep Borrell, the High 

Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, it will incorporate the European (French- German) proposal accepted verbally by the Serbian President and its implementation annex.

Dragan nyilatkozik az N1 televíziónak (Forrás: Screenshot, N1)

For Serbia, the fourth point of the EU proposal is the most critical, which states that Serbia commits to not obstructing Kosovo’s membership in international organizations, including the UN.

This issue also divides the leaders of the Freedom and Justice Party.

Dragan Đilas reminded that they rejected the European (French- German) proposal regarding Kosovo, which they considered unfavorable. However, it has been proven that its adoption has already occurred with the verbal consent of the Serbian President.

The opposition leader suggested that a method of implementation must be devised that does not compromise Serbian interests.

– I believe that no one from Serbia can or should recognize Kosovo as an independent state, and no one from Serbia should raise their hand in favor of Kosovo’s admission to the UN

– said the opposition leader in a statement to the N1 television channel, although his deputy took a different stance on the matter.

– The European proposal is an integral part of Chapter 35 and therefore the accession negotiations, and whoever is in power must comply with it, there is no doubt about that

– said Marinika Tepić, vice president of the Freedom and Justice Party, known for her combative opposition stance in the Serbian opposition scene, in a statement to N1 television.

Marinika Tepić nyilatkozik az N1 televíziónak (Forrás: Screenshot, N1)

The differing views may also stem from Tepić’s Romanian family roots from Pančevo, making it difficult for her to empathize with the Serbian people’s „ancient pain” regarding Kosovo.

However, Đilas is not a „true-born” Serbian himself, as his father is from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and his mother is from Croatia, having been resettled in Szilberek (Bački Brestovac) in Vojvodina after World War II.

Tough times for the center-left

These are difficult times for the left-wing in the Balkans. At the main committee meeting, Đilas said that his party is going through a „very difficult period” since last year’s elections, and pointed out that they must keep going in tough times, or it would mean failure.

Two years ago, the Serbian pro-government media ≈ propaganda machine reported that Đilas had foreign bank accounts, primarily in Mauritius.

The news was reported by the very friendly news portal Večernje Novosti, which claimed that the opposition leader has €6.4 million stored in various Mauritius and Swiss bank accounts.

The main „warrior” of the campaign against Đilas was Siniša Mali, the Serbian Minister of Finance, who displayed documents on several friendly TV channels and urged an investigation against Đilas, who was suspected of money laundering.

The Serbian Minister of Finance accused the opposition leader of stealing the mentioned amount from the state, thus harming the people.

The case has since been settled, but the Serbian President still frequently refers to the fact that he does not have foreign bank accounts like some in the opposition.

The Serbian investigative news portal KRIK has now uncovered that the story of foreign bank accounts was invented by Israeli Tal Hanan, who produces fake news on demand to discredit his clients’ competitors during election campaigns.

In the case of Serbia, this was Dragan Đilas, who filed a criminal complaint against Aleksandar Vučić, the President, Siniša Mali, the Minister of Finance, and Večernje Novosti, but the Belgrade government prevented the case from being launched as the prosecution rejected the complaint, stating that no crime had been committed.

However, no proceedings were initiated against the accusations made against Đilas, so the media only reported on the secret accounts, which was enough to discredit the opposition leader and undermine his party in the eyes of voters.