Picula: Montenegro has the best chance of becoming a new EU member, which is unacceptable to Vučić

Croatian MEP and European Parliament Standing Rapporteur for Serbia Tonino Picula said that he remains skeptical about the possibility that the European Union will change its policy towards the authorities in Belgrade, and said that Montenegro is entering the most sensitive phase of pre-accession negotiations, because its entry into the EU is unacceptable for Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

"I hope that the completely unacceptable glorification of a war criminal who had a virtual state funeral in Belgrade will not go down as in some previous cases when Aleksandar Vučić crossed double red lines and already then deserved that Brussels change its policy of appeasing an autocratic regime that violates democratic standards in its own country and causes instability in almost all the countries Serbia borders. I remain skeptical," Picula said in the "Briefing" show on the "Jutarnji List" portal.

He recalled that last year Vučić visited Russian President Vladimir Putin's military parade in Moscow, even though he was warned that he could face serious political consequences for doing so.

"Nothing happened," Picula pointed out.

He reminded that no one in Serbia has been prosecuted for the incursion, as he said, of its paramilitary troops into northern Kosovo, and that there was no reaction from the European Commission after Serbia passed laws in January that, according to Picula, seek to abolish the last remnants of the Special Prosecutor's Office, which is supposed to prosecute various forms of organized crime and corruption.

"Is this some kind of turning point? I'm not sure because it seems to me that a critical mass has not yet been created in the European Commission itself, nor in the member states, at least the most influential ones, to stop supporting a regime that only pretends to want to get closer to the European Union, and is only interested in the Commission sending it money from various funds, which Vučić perceives as political support and support for showdowns within Serbia," Picula pointed out.

Picula said that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will attend the next session of the European Parliament on Wednesday and deliver her annual State of the European Union speech.

"Last year, she did not mention Vučić even though it was clear that he deserved serious political commentary. We will see if this year she will find the strength to announce some tougher measures against that regime. It seems to me that she should, primarily because of what such politics are doing in their immediate neighborhood," said the reporter for Serbia.

Picula assessed that Vučić cannot do much harm to Croatia because, as he said, Croatia is too big for him, but he expressed concern about other countries, especially Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"Montenegro has the best chance of becoming a new EU member, which is unacceptable to Vučić and he has his players there, such as Chetnik duke Andrija Mandić," said Picula.

Speaking about Montenegro, Picula said that Vučić knows very well that Serbia will not enter the European Union so soon, "if it ever does."

"But then he must mobilize those who will go to the polls on October 25th and vote for him. Now it is up to Montenegrins to accept the fact that the final stage of the accession negotiations is their most sensitive phase," he said.

Picula stated that Croatia has so far helped Montenegro on its path towards the EU.

"Zagreb should not react too harshly because we are interested in a European, not a Greater Serbian, Montenegro," he stressed.

Picula said that Vučić came to power with the goodwill of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the then EU leaders, who believed that Serbia could be transformed.

"That turned out to be a misconception," he said.

Speaking about the reactions of European politicians, Picula said that after, as he stated, "this disgrace in Belgrade", alluding to the funeral of war criminal Ratko Mladić, it is unlikely that Europe will massively side with Vučić in the elections, but that there are politicians who will not deny him public support.

As an example, he cited French President Emmanuel Macron, who, he said, received Vučić at the Elysee Palace after Ratko Mladić's funeral and took a photo with him.

"France has its own political and economic interests in Serbia. The Germans are more cautious and do not want to say clearly how they see the situation in Serbia," said Picula.

He added that the SNS has observer status in the European People's Party (EPP), which he does not believe will take any serious steps against the SNS because of, as he said, its leader, Manfred Weber.

"Since 2024, he has shown that he is extremely inclined to cooperate with the far right in Parliament, which ensures a majority, and Vučić belongs to the right wing of European politics," said Picula.

The European rapporteur believes that the upcoming elections represent the most important elections in Serbia since 2000.

"It is not enough to remove the government, but to change politics. A victory for the Student List would show that changes are possible even in difficult circumstances," he is convinced.

Speaking about the student movement, Picula said he was disappointed when the students adopted the text about "Serbian Kosovo and Metohija".

"To accept such a Serbia into the EU would mean accepting a malignant order that would prevent decision-making. It would also be a betrayal of the principles on which the EU is based," he assessed.

Picula also spoke about Ursula von der Leyen's possible visit to Serbia during the election campaign.

"If Ursula von der Leyen were to go to Serbia in the midst of the election campaign, it would be her expression of political support for Vučić. I think she would get out of this predicament by saying that it was a campaign and that it was not the wisest thing to visit," Picula predicted.

Picula expressed his belief that Croatia should point out what is happening in Serbia in all European institutions and use its right to oppose the policy of, as he said, subservience to the Serbian regime.

"We can express anger, disappointment and rage towards the statements of politicians, but when the leader of a religious community sides with a war criminal, it is an even clearer indicator of how sick society is," he said, responding to a question from a reader of "Jutarnji List" about Patriarch Porfirije.