The Chair of the European Parliament (EP) Delegation for Relations with Serbia, Loucas Fourlas, stated that "Europe needs Serbia as much as Serbia needs Europe" and underlined that the implementation of reforms was crucial in the process of Serbia's accession to the EU.
After the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where discussions took place with EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, Polish Minister for EU Affairs Adam Szłapka, and other MEPs regarding the situation in Serbia, Furlas told EUpravo Zato that he had "heard the criticisms of his colleagues in Parliament" and that his message to Serbia was clear - now is the time to implement all necessary reforms to move closer to the European Union, our shared family.
"As I have said before, I firmly believe that Serbia belongs in the EU family, and I am convinced that tomorrow we will have a productive and constructive meeting here in Parliament. Europe needs Serbia, as I have said and will repeat, and Serbia needs Europe," he told our portal.
The meeting of the EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee, which consists of MPs from Serbia and the European Parliament, will take place today and tomorrow in Strasbourg.
According to the draft agenda published on the social network X by the EP's Foreign Affairs Committee, the first day of the meeting will focus on the current state of accession negotiations and EU-Serbia relations, with the presence of officials from the Serbian government and EU institutions.
Debate in the European Parliament on the political situation in Serbia
A debate on the political situation in Serbia was held during the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, with around 30 MEPs participating.
The topic was not placed on the agenda at the proposal of the European Commission but rather at the insistence of several political groups, including the Socialists, Liberals, and Greens, with the support of the European People's Party (EPP). The debate did not result in the adoption of a resolution, as previously announced by the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Serbia, Tonino Picula.
MEPs discussed developments in Serbia following 1 November 2024, when 15 people lost their lives after the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad, which subsequently triggered mass protests across the country.
