The European Union (EU) has said it expects a swift investigation into all allegations of excessive use of force by the police in Serbia.
"We are concerned about yesterday's escalation in Novi Sad," European Commission (EC) spokesman Guillaume Mercier told N1.
"The right to peaceful assembly and the preservation of public order must be respected. Police action must be proportionate and in line with fundamental rights. We expect a swift investigation of all allegations of excessive use of force by the police, other violent incidents, including the attack on the dean," the EC said.
On Monday, at the call of Dean Patrik Drid, a large force of police and gendarmerie attempted to break up a student blockade of the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education (DIF) in Novi Sad. They used batons to beat citizens and students gathered in front of the faculty building, and pepper spray was also used. During the police action in front of the DIF, emergency teams also intervened due to five cases of injuries.
Yesterday in Belgrade, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos called on the Serbian government to work together with the EU to establish an independent judiciary, free media and electoral frameworks that will reflect the views of Serbian citizens.
After meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macuta, Kos stated at a press conference that Serbia cannot progress without an independent judiciary, media and electoral framework, and that everything the EU is asking of Serbia is "very close to what the people protesting in the streets are asking for," the Beta agency reported.
"Work with us on reforms to make your membership possible. Work with us on establishing an independent judiciary that can effectively fight corruption. Work with us on implementing laws and establishing institutions that will enable a free media where all opinions will be represented. Work with us to establish an electoral framework that will ensure that the will of the Serbian people is heard and decisions are made based on it," Kos said.
"Without these changes, Serbia cannot progress and we know that what we are asking for is very close to what the people protesting on the streets of Serbia are asking for," she added.
Kos said that many countries that are candidates for EU membership have accelerated the implementation of reforms and that she hopes that this will be the case in Serbia as well.
"It's not just about enlargement. Many candidate countries have realized that it is necessary to implement reforms faster than has been the case so far. I would like this to happen in Serbia as well, which has a rich history and tradition with very hardworking and innovative people," she said.
Kos stated that in Belgrade she will not only meet with government representatives, but also with representatives of civil society organizations with whom she is constantly in contact, and with students.
Macut told the Commissioner that Serbia's commitment to European integration is an absolute priority and that the new government will continue with that process.
Prelević: Students won despite brutality
Lawyer Božo Prelević said yesterday that the students and citizens of Novi Sad won a great victory on Monday despite the brutal intervention of the police.
"When thousands of Novi Sad residents came to the aid of the students, the police realized that they could not stop the justified rebellion of citizens with aggression. They were smarter than those who ordered them to use force and withdrew. This is a great victory for the students, but also a victory for the citizens who stood by their children. They defended the right to justice, to find out who was responsible for the deaths of 16 people at the Railway Station," Prelević told the Beta agency.
When the police are following the orders of someone who does not want to reveal how the deaths of 16 people occurred, he added, then they should ask themselves whether their actions are legal.
Commenting on Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić's statement that he was not satisfied with the police reaction in Novi Sad because it was not responded with serious use of force, Prelević said that this was "terrible" pressure on the minister and the commanders of police units.
"I believe that Vučić is dissatisfied with the work of the police, just as he is dissatisfied with the work of RTS. He is satisfied with Ćacilenda, Pink, Informer... Vučić sets very clear limits on what he demands from ministers and state services. This is terrible pressure on the Minister of Police and commanders of police units, with the aim of achieving his personal political interests through aggression, which is to remain in power at all costs," the lawyer assessed.
According to him, Vučić demands loyalty from the police to him, not to the law and the people.
"This is a fundamental misunderstanding that society finds itself in and which forces the police to decide whether they are Vučić's Praetorian Guard as well as RTS. RTS employees should decide whether they are propagandists or journalists, and those in the Ministry of Internal Affairs whether they are police officers or identical to the Black Hoods from Ćaciland," Prelević emphasized.
Regarding the beating of students, citizens and professors in front of the DIF in Novi Sad the day before yesterday, Prelević said that it was a police demonstration exercise for some other faculties.
"Vučić's prototype for a dean is Mr. Patrik Drid. If the dean is not Patrik, then, according to Vučić, he is an Ustasha, a rectal professor, and everything else that has been said against those professors who are closer to students and the law," concluded Prelević.
Vučić blames protests for economic slowdown
The President of Serbia said yesterday that he "believes" that the economic growth rate in the first three months of this year was 2,1 to 2,2 percent, which is less than planned, as a result of the crisis caused by the blockades, stating that the services sector suffered the most.
"I believe that the growth rate will be 2,1 to 2,2 percent in the first three months. It will take us a lot to reach 3,5 to 3,6 percent, which is again less than what we planned by the end of the year," Vučić told reporters during a tour of the works at the exit portal of the Iriški venac tunnel.
He assessed that this was a consequence of "the crimes committed against Serbia in the previous six months."
He pointed out that due to months of blockades, the decline was greatest in the services sector.
"There has been a huge decline in services in the hospitality and tourism industry. Tourism has fallen by 22,8 percent in the first three months, and this is a direct consequence of the criminal blockades and the criminal destruction of Serbia, both from outside and from within," Vučić said.
In a regional report for the Western Balkans this week, the World Bank cut its growth forecast for Serbia to 3,5 percent from 4,2 percent, saying uncertainty in global trade and a slowdown in the economy, primarily in the eurozone, are likely to impact trade in goods and services, as well as investment in the region, Reuters reported.
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