The EU Delegation to Serbia celebrated Europe Day by arranging a formal reception at the Assembly of the City of Belgrade.
Addressing numerous guests, Acting Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Oskar Benedikt said that Serbia had made great progress on its EU path and added that such path is the only right way for Serbia.
“To quote what the Prime Minister has repeatedly said: the EU is the only right way,” Benedikt said.
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The reception was attended by Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, Government Ministers Ana Brnabic and Jadranka Joksimovic and Belgrade Mayor Sinisa Mali, as well as representatives of political parties, diplomatic corps, religious communities, civil sector and media.
Benedikt said that Serbia has come a long way on the EU path in the past 16 years: Serbian citizens now enjoy visa-free travel, the country has established much stronger economic ties with EU Member States whereas students go abroad to finish their studies, all of which points to ”ever greater integration of Serbia with the EU. ”
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“This is a major success that allows Serbia to move steadily towards the EU,” Benedikt said.
Acting Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia said that the celebration of Europe Day was in fact the celebration of “overcoming Europe’s divides” and reminded that in 1950 a completely new concept was born, the one that made European citizens work together and not against each other in order to prevent Europe from plunging into a war, possibly for good.
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Benedikt added that, despite populist and nationalist forces being on the rise, recent elections in Austria, the Netherlands and France proved that extreme viewpoints still fail to attract enough support from citizens and that more effort was needed to preserve peace and stability in Europe.
