Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is the main obstacle to the reforms required for the country to advance toward European Union membership, Konstantin Samofalov, international secretary of the opposition Freedom and Justice Party (SSP), said on Sunday.
Reacting to Vučić’s recent statement that Serbia has limited chances of joining the EU quickly due to a number of political factors, Samofalov argued that the Serbian president had unintentionally acknowledged the obstacles facing the country.
“In the incredible number of lies he tells, Vučić happened to say one truthful sentence — that Serbia has little chance of quickly joining the EU for numerous political reasons,” Samofalov said in a statement.
However, he accused Vučić of failing to acknowledge his own responsibility for the stalled reform process.
“The outgoing president simply forgot to say that he personally is the obstacle to the reforms necessary for EU membership, because he would not only lose power but would also have to answer for everything he has done to Serbia,” Samofalov said.
According to the SSP official, Serbia’s progress toward EU membership requires effective action against corruption, stronger rule of law institutions and genuinely free and fair elections.
He accused Vučić’s government of failing to address organized crime and corruption, while allegedly using state institutions and electoral mechanisms to consolidate political power.
“Vučić is not fighting crime; instead, he is turning Serbia into a safe haven for criminals. Vučić is not trying to tackle corruption but is increasing the percentage for his party. Vučić does not implement ODIHR recommendations but looks for new ways to use electoral engineering to deceive citizens,” Samofalov said.
He argued that Serbia’s European future remains stalled because of what he described as systematic abuses by the current government.
“Serbia’s European future is on hold because Vučić’s regime lies, takes and steals from whoever it can and whatever it can,” Samofalov said.
The comments come amid renewed debate over Serbia’s EU accession prospects and the country’s continued political balancing between Brussels, Moscow and other international partners. Opposition parties have repeatedly accused Vučić’s government of slowing democratic reforms and undermining the conditions required for meaningful progress in the EU accession process.
