Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday that Serbia remained committed to joining the European Union but would not accept what he described as disrespectful treatment by some members of the European Parliament.
Speaking to reporters, Vucic said he was confident Serbia would find solutions to outstanding issues and speed up its EU accession process, stressing that his criticism was not aimed at the EU itself but at the conduct of individual lawmakers.
“We are on the European path, but we will not allow Serbia to be humiliated,” Vucic said.
He said he was boycotting meetings only with Croatian MEP Tonino Picula, accusing him and other lawmakers of visiting Serbia without proper communication with Serbian authorities.
“They neither asked whether they were welcome nor coordinated dates with us,” Vucic said, adding that he had long-standing international commitments, including meetings at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Vucic also called on parliamentary speaker Ana Brnabic to reopen dialogue with civil society groups over the selection of members of Serbia’s media regulator, the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM), an issue repeatedly raised by the EU as part of reforms linked to Serbia’s accession talks.
He said the process should be made more inclusive, while insisting that decisions must not run counter to Serbia’s national interests.
“The dialogue should be reopened with non-governmental organisations and all relevant actors,” Vucic said, adding that a compromise solution could be reached in the coming months.
Media freedom, electoral conditions and the independence of regulatory institutions have been among the EU’s key concerns regarding Serbia, which has been a formal candidate for EU membership since 2012.
Vucic, who was speaking ahead of his participation at the World Economic Forum in Davos, said the annual gathering provided an opportunity for Serbia to engage directly with global leaders on political, economic and energy issues.
The Serbian president also dismissed criticism from opposition figures and media outlets, saying it was impossible to respond to what he described as widespread misinformation.
Opposition parties accuse Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party of eroding democratic institutions and media freedom, allegations the government denies.