More than 20 senior European politicians, including the heads of the foreign policy committees of several national parliaments, called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other EU leaders to launch an investigation into allegations of fraud in the December elections in Serbia.
"We call on the EU to conduct an independent investigation into all reported election irregularities and claims of fraud," European officials said in a letter seen by the Brussels-based portal Politiko (www.politico.eu).
Among the 24 signatories of the letter are Michael Roth, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Parliament, and his French colleague Jean-Louis Bourlange, as well as the presidents of the foreign policy committees of Italy, Denmark and Luxembourg.
They called on the EU to independently investigate allegations of electoral fraud and to make recommendations to ensure free and fair elections in Serbia, adds Politiko.
"Depending on the findings of the investigation, new elections may be necessary in Serbia. Our common goal is to see Serbia as a member of the European Union in this decade," the letter states.
The letter was addressed to top EU officials, including von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and European Parliament President Roberta Metzola.
Among the signatories of the letter are representatives of Ukraine, Moldova and Great Britain, which are not members of the EU.
Last night, the European Parliament held a debate on the situation in Serbia after the December elections, in which harsh criticism was heard due to major irregularities and the findings of international observers that the elections in Serbia on December 17 had deprived the opposition parties of their results, while favoring the ruling party.
The situation in Serbia after the December elections will again be the subject of the Foreign Policy Committee of the European Parliament (AFET) on January 23, and a resolution on this should be adopted at the plenary session of the European Parliament in early February.
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