At today’s meeting with the new EU Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Andreas von Beckerath, members of the Program Council of the National Convention on the European Union (NCEU) informed the Ambassador about their past activities in monitoring Serbia’s European integration process, particularly in the context of the current political and social crisis.
The members of the NCEU Program Council emphasized that further progress on Serbia’s path to EU membership is only possible through strengthening institutions, consistent application of the rule of law, and protection of citizens’ fundamental rights, with special focus on freedom of expression and assembly. They also stressed the need to protect the judiciary and other institutions from political pressure, to improve transparency and accountability of the authorities, as well as to ensure the conditions for the free operation and work of civil society.
Representatives of the National Convention expressed concern about the further deepening of the crisis in the country and stated that responsibility for its emergence, as well as for overcoming it, primarily lies with the authorities, which should demonstrate political will and restore citizens’ trust in institutions. The meeting also addressed the challenges so far and new modalities of communication on the benefits of the European integration process, in order to restore citizens’ trust in Serbia’s EU accession process.
Ambassador Beckerath thanked the members of the National Convention for their dedicated contribution to Serbia’s EU accession process, recalling that a vibrant and independent civil society plays a vital role in the development of a healthy and democratic society. He noted the increasingly difficult circumstances under which civil society organisations operate and underlined that the authorities should ensure an enabling environment for their work. The Ambassador stressed that Serbia’s EU accession process provides the framework to address many of the current challenges, from strengthening the rule of law and safeguarding media freedom to improving electoral conditions and ensuring an enabling environment for civil society. He encouraged the National Convention to continue playing its leading role as a key partner to the EU in advancing Serbia’s accession process.
