The members of the European Parliament in the joint text of the proposed resolution call for an independent international investigation of irregularities in the parliamentary, provincial and local elections in Serbia, with special attention to the Belgrade elections, given that some allegations, including those related to the organized migration of voters at the local level, exceed statements from the OSCE/ODIHR report.
The international investigation should be conducted by respected international experts in law and institutions, according to the text of the resolution on the situation in Serbia after the elections coordinated between political groups, which the Beta agency had access to.
In the text, the MEPs reiterated their position that Serbia's accession negotiations should progress only if the country complies with sanctions against Russia and makes significant progress in reforms related to the EU, but also if Serbia fully implements the recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission.
MEPs call on the European Commission and the Council to strictly condition and reduce or freeze funds for Serbia from IPA III and other financial instruments if the authorities in Belgrade do not want to implement key recommendations on the elections or if they are unwilling to accept an international independent investigation of election irregularities or if the investigation shows that the authorities were directly involved in election fraud.
The text expresses regret for the deviation from international standards and Serbia's commitment to free and fair elections and indicates that due to persistent and systematic abuse of institutions and media by officials, the December elections cannot be considered free and fair.
MEPs ask the European Commission to launch an initiative to send an expert mission to Serbia, which would eventually include experts from the OSCE/ODIHR, the Venice Commission and the Council of Europe, to assess the situation with the recent elections and post-election developments in order to provide the preconditions for the establishment of the necessary social dialogue. which would lead to the restoration of trust in institutions.
It is noted that the international observation missions stated that the election day went smoothly, but that it was marked by numerous procedural deficiencies.
It points to numerous evidences of irregularities collected by international and domestic observers during the election day, which critically influenced the election results, especially for Belgrade, and undermined the legitimacy of the parliamentary elections.
MEPs express deep concern about the overall electoral environment and identified irregularities and assess that the elections were far below the standards expected for a candidate country for the EU.
The document expresses regret for the lack of institutional response to serious suspicions about the involvement of officials in election manipulations and abuses.
At the same time, it condemns the lack of results in the prosecution and sanctioning of criminal offenses in elections, including accusations of manipulation of the voter list and voting rights, pressure and intimidation of citizens and candidates in elections, cases of corruption, forgery of citizens' signatures, clientelism, abuse of citizens' data...
In the joint draft resolution, the Serbian authorities are asked to investigate, prosecute and bring to justice those responsible for criminal acts during the elections and for attacks on students.
It also condemns attacks by officials, especially Prime Minister Ana Brnabić and President Aleksandar Vučić, on election observers, including MEPs, and calls for a return to constructive and respectful discourse while emphasizing the importance of mutual respect in the democratic process.
The Serbian authorities are requested to take the necessary measures to avoid further disinformation campaigns against election observers and provide conditions for the effective work of national and international observers.
It is also requested that the Serbian authorities provide institutional solutions for overcoming current problems and calls for the proper functioning of the Serbian Parliament and the Government without constant cycles of campaigns and frequent early elections.
The Serbian authorities are invited to fully cooperate with the OSCE/ODIHR, the EU and the Council of Europe in order to ensure electoral rights and freedoms. It is noted that Serbia did not apply the long-standing recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission on the electoral process.
The Republican Electoral Commission is requested to take the necessary measures to respond to concerns about the transparency and efficiency of its functioning.
The text expresses regret for the lack of media pluralism during the election campaign, misinformation and unethical and biased media coverage in favor of the ruling party. It is also noted with concern that a large number of media outlets are under the influence or control of the authorities and points to the large presence of President Vučić in the media during the campaign.
It further regrets that the REM neglected its obligation to carefully monitor the election campaign in the media, report its findings and punish media that violated the law.
The Serbian authorities are urged to provide sufficient democratic guarantees for the next regular local elections this year, as well as for future elections.
Concern is also expressed about the "passivization" of the addresses of certain categories of citizens, including in Belgrade and in the south of Serbia, thereby depriving them of the right to vote.
It is noted that all but one composition of the Serbian Parliament in the last 12 years has been dissolved earlier, and it is estimated that continuous early elections do not contribute to political stability. As indicated, constant early elections, constant campaigning and long waiting for the formation of the Government do not contribute to efficient democratic administration in Serbia.
The harmonized text of the resolution emphasizes the importance of freedom of speech and the right to express views, and, in this context, complains about the disproportionate police violence against peaceful demonstrators who protested election fraud.
It further strongly condemns the unsubstantiated claims of the Serbian authorities that EU members were involved in organizing the post-election protests and expresses regret that the protests were used to spread anti-EU narratives in the media close to the ruling party.
Concern is also expressed about cases of abusive language and attacks combined with harassment of journalists, human rights activists and civil society organizations, which in some cases come from officials, and calls on the Serbian authorities to stand up to foreign interference and disinformation campaigns.
In the end, the MEPs state that they will carefully monitor the post-election events in Serbia and support reforms to strengthen democracy and progress on the way to the EU and call on the EU to facilitate dialogue between the government and the opposition in order to overcome the current deep political polarization.
The resolution on the situation in Serbia will be voted on tomorrow at the plenary session of the Parliament in Strasbourg, where there is a possibility that some amendment to that text may be adopted before the vote.
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