Have the article read by OpenAI (Beta). Please note that AI translations may take some time to process.The European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, said citizens in Serbia “have the right to peacefully protest for justice, good governance, and actually the rule of law and and getting rid of corruption”, when asked about the ongoing student protests in the Western Balkans country. She spoke in an interview with the European Newsroom (enr).
“These are also the things that we are expecting from a candidate country.”
EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF KAJA KALLAS
Protests led by students have been ongoing in Serbia for more than three months. They were triggered by the collapse of a canopy at the Novi Sad railway station shortly after its inauguration in November, in which 15 people died. The students are demanding accountability from the authorities.
The political opposition, and especially the student movement, blame the disaster on corruption and believe there were irregularities in the awarding and execution of the work.
Several attacks on protesters have been recorded so far, including a car being driven into a crowd of students. The protesters believe members of the ruling party to be responsible.
Serbia applied for EU membership in 2008 and was granted candidate states in 2010. Membership negotiations opened in 2012. “Of course, the future of Serbia is for Serbian people to decide,” the head of EU diplomacy stressed.
Dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo under fresh auspices
In her interview with the enr, Kallas also addressed the dialogue between Belgrade and Priština, saying that she will meet in March with the newly appointed EU Special Representative for the dialogue, Danish diplomat Peter Sørensen, to determine the next steps.
Kallas emphasised that the Western Balkans are part of Europe, even though they are not part of the European Union, and that the region’s stability is crucial for the EU. She pointed out that reducing tensions is in the EU’s interest and that she will personally work on this process.
“It is clear that the normalisation of the relations is needed for both of those countries. If they think they can move on the European track without the normalisation of their relationship, then I don’t see how that is possible,” Kallas said.
The top diplomat also indicated that the Western Balkans are the “close neighbourhood” of the EU, adding: “it is in our interests that the tensions are down” and that “they are with us”.
Kosovo is a former Serbian province which declared independence in 2008. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s statehood. Its application for EU membership, submitted in 2022, remains stalled due to the lack of consensus among the 27 members due to the refusal of five countries – Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain – to recognise its independence.
Kosovo held elections last Sunday. Kallas encouraged people to wait and see how the next government is formed and how progress can be made. She said earlier that she was looking forward to the formation of a new government in Kosovo to support its rapprochement with the EU.
This article is published twice a week. The content is based on news by agencies participating in the enr.