“Vučić does not want a partnership with the EU, and now that is clear to everyone”: What do the attacks on European MPs in the Parliament tell us?

Unpleasant situations during visits by European delegations indicate an increasingly complex relationship between the authorities and Brussels. Although it cannot be said with certainty whether this is a deliberate strategy or clumsy individual reactions, the consequences for Serbia’s international reputation can be serious, according to our interlocutors.

The meeting of the members of the Defense and Internal Affairs Committee with the Chairman of the Bundestag Security Committee, Thomas Röwekämper, held without the presence of the opposition, took place in a very tense atmosphere. The exchange of views on security issues quickly turned into a politically sharp debate, in which numerous criticisms were directed at Germany.

The greatest tension arose after the statement by MP Aleksandar Pavić from the “We – The Power of the People – Branimir Nestorović” group, who stated that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has “Nazi origins” and that his grandfather was a Nazi war criminal. Following that statement, Röwekämper demonstratively left the room, effectively terminating the meeting.

A similar situation occurred during the visit of members of the European Green Party (EGP) who, like their colleague from the Bundestag, encountered unpleasantness.

Specifically, after the protest in Novi Sad on September 5, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stated that “some scum gathered there,” accusing foreign actors of “coming to overthrow Serbia” and announcing that the state would strongly oppose them. He also said that “scum from the European Green Party helped” the demonstrators and called on the authorities to take action in accordance with the law.

The Co-Chair of the EGP told Danas at the time that she and European MP Rasmus Nordqvist were surprised by such rhetoric, emphasizing that the accusations of inciting violence were unfounded and that they took the announcement of criminal prosecution as a threat.

The anti-EU rhetoric that the government disseminates to the domestic public when messages from Brussels do not suit it undoubtedly contributes to this atmosphere. Such outbursts towards foreign officials fit into an established pattern whereby the government, for the domestic audience, portrays European partners in a negative light; however, in the context of current events, they can also have consequences for relations between Belgrade and Brussels.

Our interlocutors believe that these incidents are not spontaneous but are strategically orchestrated by the current regime, and that the consequences of such behaviour are serious for Serbia’s reputation.

Balša Božović, Executive Director of the Regional Academy for the Development of Democracy, assesses that these are not incidents at all, but organized behaviour that, as he points out, would simply not be possible without the prior approval of Aleksandar Vučić. He adds that everything happening in the Parliament, especially towards international partners, is part of the political strategy of the Vučić regime.

“Therefore, the majority MPs acted upon orders: without order, with heckling, insults, and open humiliation of guests and their own institution. This is not political impropriety; it is a clear message! Vučić does not want a partnership with the EU, and now that is clear to everyone based on this example,” he explains.

Božović warns that the consequences of such behaviour are becoming serious, citing the collapse of Serbia’s reputation, the deepening of political isolation, and a further drop in the trust of European partners as just some of them. The most dangerous thing, as he points out, is that political aggression is being normalized as a method of governing the state.

“If the regime treats Bundestag MPs this way, it is difficult to expect that it will have respect for its own citizens and institutions. Today’s event once again confirms that Serbia does not have a problem with Europe but exclusively with the regime that is not even trying to hide that it is anti-European,” he concludes.

Bogdan Radovanović, MP for the Green-Left Front and member of the Defense and Internal Affairs Committee, assesses that this shows the fear of the ruling structure due to changes in the European Union’s attitude towards the current government. He adds that the EU is no longer passive regarding the problems the government creates in Serbia, which, according to him, are reflected in the restriction of media and civil liberties, influence on institutions, corruption, the existence of informal paramilitary groups in Belgrade, as well as repressive reactions towards students, activists, and opposition representatives.

“Apparently, the Progressives have realized that they no longer have the support of the EPP either, so their panicked fear this time was manifested through the unpleasantness experienced by the high-ranking CDU MEP and head of the Bundestag Defense Committee, Thomas Röwekämper,” he says, adding that he, as a member of the Defense and Internal Affairs Committee on behalf of the Green-Left Front (ZLF), was not invited to attend that meeting.

Radovanović recalls that on the same day, members of the Friendship Group with Germany from the ranks of the Serbian Progressive Party insulted guests from the German Bundestag at a meeting after the Chairman and member of the Bundestag Committee for European Affairs, Anton Hofreiter and Boris Mijatović, criticized the authorities in Serbia. He adds that in early September, after police repression in Novi Sad, the delegation of the European Green Party, Co-Chair Vula Ceci and MEP Rasmus Nordqvist, who were in Serbia at the invitation of the Green-Left Front, left the country due to open insults and threats to security, which, as he states, came from the highest state leadership, namely Aleksandar Vučić.

“All this is an echo of the anxiety of the New Radicals because of the sharpest resolution of the European Parliament that the Green-Left Front, together with other colleagues, fought for through their international activities. That resolution, for which 457 MPs voted, directly and without diplomatic euphemism criticizes the government of Aleksandar Vučić and the SNS, and even calls on the European Commission to initiate the sanctioning of those responsible for serious violations of the law and human rights in Serbia,” he explains.

He points out that after these latest events, he believes even more firmly that the European Union is truly on the side of the citizens of Serbia in the fight for freedom. “The future of us and our children is in the European Union, and it is absolutely clear that this is unattainable with Vučić in power,” he concludes.

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