Launch of the Second Phase of the Inter-Party Dialogue with the National Assembly of Serbia

Joint Statement of AFET Chair and DEG Co-chair David MCALLISTER (EPP, DE), Tanja FAJON (S&D, SI) and Vladimír BILČÍK (EPP, SK), following the formal launch of the Parliament’s facilitated Inter-Party Dialogue process with the National Assembly of Serbia on 1 March 2021

Today, the European Parliament has formally launched the second phase of the Inter-Party Dialogue process with the National Assembly of Serbia, following the first phase, which took place in late 2019.

We held a constructive meeting with Speaker Ivica Dačić, co-facilitator of the process, and agreed on subsequent steps that will support consensus and trust building across the political spectrum in Serbia.

We firmly believe that the Inter-Party Dialogue process facilitated by the European Parliament is in Serbia’s best interest. It is an important element in the country’s efforts to further strengthen democracy and enhance citizens’ confidence in institutions and the electoral process.

In this process, the role of the European Parliament is not to bring ready-made solutions but rather to facilitate a dialogue where political parties could come to an agreement over pertinent issues and topics of their mutual concern and interest.

The four members of the European Parliament’s facilitation team are Members of the European Parliament, Vladimir Bilčik, the Committee on Foreign Affairs Standing Rapporteur for Serbia, Tanja Fajon, the Chair of the Delegation for relations with Serbia and the two former Members of the European Parliament, Eduard Kukan and Knut Fleckenstein.

During the second phase of the Inter-Party Dialogue process, the facilitation team will conduct a series of consultations with all relevant stakeholders in Serbia on the agenda of the upcoming round of the Inter-Party Dialogue. The team will propose possible participants and topics of common interest identified during these consultations to the National Assembly.