EU candidate Serbia is inconsistent with EU foreign policy, the committee says – EURACTIV.com

In its annual report on monitoring Serbia’s accession to the EU, the European Commission emphasized the serious inconsistency between Belgrade and the EU’s foreign and security policies.

The committee issued its regular “Zoom package‘Report covering Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.

this 135 page report on Serbia It is repeated in its various parts that the country has been “appropriately prepared” for joining the European Union. Regarding bilateral relations, it emphasized that the relationship between Serbia and Montenegro has been in a state of tension.

The report stated: “The continuing tension on issues and incidents related to the Serbian Orthodox Church has led to an increase in nationalist speech.”

The new leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, Joanikie II, took the throne in a monastery in Cetinje, which incited differences in relations with Serbia within Montenegro. Montenegro broke away from the alliance with Serbia after winning the independence referendum by a narrow margin in 2006, but its church still belongs to the Serbian church.

The report stated that “Serbia is appropriately prepared in the field of common foreign, security and defense policies”, adding that “some of Serbia’s actions are contrary to the EU’s foreign policy stance”.

According to the report, in 2020, the agreement between Serbia and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs on behalf of the EU and the Council’s statement was 56%. In contrast, Albania and Montenegro are exactly the same, with North Macedonia at 96% and Bosnia and Herzegovina at 70%.

The Committee stated that Serbia has been aligned with the EU’s human rights sanctions regime, but it has not been aligned with any lists adopted under that regime. It explained that the country has been consistent with “partial” restrictions on Belarus, but continues to be inconsistent with the EU’s statement on Hong Kong and sanctions on Russia.

In December 2020, Serbia voted against the UN General Assembly resolution on the militarization of Crimea.

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“As a priority, Serbia needs to make more efforts to align with the EU CFSP,” the report pointed out.

Elsewhere, Serbia’s development relations and strategic partnerships with Russia and China have been emphasized.

“In February 2021, {Leonid Slutskiy]Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the State Duma, which was included on the EU sanctions list, was in Belgrade. [More] […]In July 2021, the President of Serbia [Aleksandar Vučić] Obtained the Director of the Russian Federal Foreign Intelligence Service [Sergey Naryshkin], Listed on the EU sanctions list,” the committee’s report said. [More]

According to reports, Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic assessed during his visit to Moscow in June 2021 that the defense 126 cooperation between Serbia and Russia was “at a historic high.”

“Two overhauled MIG-29s from Belarus were delivered to Serbia in April 2021. In June 2021, Serbia participated in an annual tripartite military exercise with Russia and Belarus (“Slavic Brotherhood”)”, the committee mentioned , And other examples of friendly relations with Moscow and Minsk.

The relationship with China was also emphasized, including President Vucic’s speech at a virtual ceremony celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

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In Geneva, in the context of the Conference on Disarmament, Serbia tends to be consistent with all EU statements. However, the European Commission pointed out that, however, at the United Nations in New York, Serbia often disagreed with the EU’s statement and sometimes supported the position opposed by the EU in the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly.

The EU executive also expressed regret that Serbia did not accept the EU’s proposal to include it in a mechanism that would strengthen Serbia’s resilience and responsiveness to mixed challenges. The committee stated: “Since the proposal was made, it has not had any interaction with Serbia on this matter”.

[Edited by Benjamin Fox]