Tonino Picula, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Serbia, has strongly condemned a gathering of Serbia’s state leadership at a celebration in Belgrade where Chetnik songs were performed, describing it as a renewed demonstration of the ideology of “Greater Serbia” and a clear distancing of Serbia from the European Union.
According to Picula, the event confirms that the current Serbian leadership represents a continuation of the destructive war-era policies of the 1990s, which brought conflict and widespread human suffering across the former Yugoslavia.
He stressed that this development should not come as a surprise to those closely following political events in Serbia, as it represents yet another public manifestation of a policy that keeps the country trapped in the past.
“This event should not surprise anyone who follows political developments in Serbia. It is merely another public demonstration of everything that keeps Serbia chained to the era when the ideology of Greater Serbian nationalism caused wars and immense human suffering,” Picula said.
Picula added that the current leadership in Belgrade is a direct continuation of this policy, one they no longer attempt to conceal.
“What is absolutely clear is that the goal of such a policy is not, and cannot be, membership in the European Union. Calls for a so-called ‘Serbian world’ and Chetnik nostalgia are in no way compatible with European integration, especially for a country that holds EU candidate status,” he emphasized.
When asked whether Serbia, under the leadership of President Aleksandar Vučić, is moving away from the EU, Picula responded that this ‘Greater Serbia staging’ also represents a continuation of threats toward neighboring countries, including Croatia.
