Leaders of the European Green Party have called on the three top EU officials to publicly condemn Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić for personal insults, threats of criminal prosecution, intimidation, and disinformation campaigns against European political representatives and democratic actors, while urging support for the citizens of Serbia and the defense of European values.
The joint letter, published on Twitter by European Greens co-chair Vula Ceci—one of the targets of Vučić’s verbal attacks during a late-night police intervention in Novi Sad on September 5—was addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, and European Council President Charles Michel.
The signatories demanded that EU leaders:
- Publicly denounce Vučić’s threats, intimidation, and disinformation campaigns against Ceci and fellow European Green MEP Rasmus Nordqvist.
- Monitor the situation in Serbia urgently, especially regarding treatment of peaceful protesters, opposition parties, and independent media.
- Reaffirm that candidate countries must respect democratic standards, including freedom of expression, assembly, and the protection of visiting European officials.
“The European Union cannot remain silent in the face of authoritarian rhetoric, intimidation, and disinformation. We kindly urge you to defend European values, support the citizens of Serbia, and convey that such threats are unacceptable,” the letter reads.
The European Greens highlighted that over the past ten months, Serbia has witnessed the largest civic mobilization in its recent history, with citizens, students, workers, teachers, cultural figures, and especially young people, demanding accountability, transparency, and democracy. The party stressed that peaceful demonstrations deserve protection, not repression, as in established European democracies.
The letter also underscored Serbia’s status as a EU candidate country, emphasizing that this status comes with responsibilities to uphold democratic principles, protect free speech, ensure the right to assembly, and safeguard independent media.
The letter cited Vučić’s televised attacks on September 5, where he repeatedly called the European Green delegation “scum” and threatened them with criminal prosecution, following a press conference in the Serbian Parliament with local Green-left representatives expressing solidarity with peaceful demonstrators in Novi Sad.
Signatories include co-chairs Kiran Kufe and Vula Ceci, MEP Rasmus Nordqvist, and co-chairs of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament, Terry Reintke and Bas Eickhout.
