I am happy to share the latest report on Serbia I have authored for
@freedomhouse
Nations in Transit report
@FH_NIT
The news is not good, however, as after a turbulent year, 🇷🇸 faced the biggest democratic decline among all countries covered by NiT.
Danas me je predsednik Srbije tokom "obraćanja naciji" u direktnom prenosu na najmanje 25 televizija označio kao deo mreže za pritisak na 🇷🇸 i praktično kao neprijatelja države.
U pitanju je očigledan pokušaj zastrašivanja i diskreditacije, uz nekoliko krupnih neistina 👇
Images of pro-Russian rallies in Serbia are now shocking people, but they are much less shocking than the blatant pro-Putin and anti-Western propaganda promoted by the Serbian gov't and its media in the past 10 years. The same gov't that gets pats on the back by the EU. 1/2
Treće, iza ocena Fridom hausa stoji celokupna organizacija, a ne pojedini analitičari. Postoji jasna metodologija i sve kritike su utemeljene i argumentovane. Što se mene lično tiče, stojim iza svega što sam napisao o 🇷🇸, a što ćete imati priliku da pročitate u aprilu.
Prvo, ja uopšte nisam autor izveštaja o 🇷🇸 u okviru Fridom hausovog izveštaja "Sloboda u svetu" koji je objavljen pre neki dan, a koji je predsednik pomenuo, već izveštaja o 🇷🇸 u okviru drugog izveštaja Fridom hausa - Države u tranziciji - koji će biti objavljen tek u aprilu.
Drugo, jasna je namera da se targetiram ja lično, da se relativizuju nalazi Fridom hausa jer ih piše neko iz Srbije, kao i da se celokupna kritika stanja demokratije u 🇷🇸 od strane međunarodne zajednice, opozicije i civilnog društva stavi u kontekst pritisaka oko Kosova.
I've been claiming for years that Serbian pro-gov't media are the main source of pro-Russian propaganda in the WB and that media capture leads towards authoritarianism and deep anti-Western sentiments of the citizens. This was a deliberate gov't policy. These are the results. 2/2
Also, Serbian right-wing extremists tend to be pro-Russian, and since the spotlight is now on the Russian aggression on Ukraine, this support shocks everyone and makes many of us feel ashamed. But don't forget that Serbia is hardly the only country with right-wing extremism.
It's been two years since "Ukraine attacked Russia!" according to pro-government Serbian tabloids.
If you think this is horrible, remember that we have to deal with such lies on a daily basis for the last 10 years.
This is how far Vučić's propaganda machinery in Serbia can go.
"To je jako opasna poruka, time ne samo da se pokušava da se diskredituje naš rad, nego nam se crta meta na čelu“
Govorio sam za N1 o subotnjem obraćanju predsednika Srbije i kampanji koja se vodi protiv kritičara vlasti, uključujući i civilno društvo u 🇷🇸
Krah desne opozicije koja je kampanju bazirala na protivljenju "Francusko-nemačkom planu" (NO, NS, DJB) još jednom dokazuje tezu da se SNS ne može rušiti na nacionalnim temama. Najbolje je prošao DSS koji je u prvi plan stavio borbu protiv režima i saradnju sa ostatkom opozicije.
ODIHR izveštaj o izborima u Srbiji diplomatskim rečnikom prepoznaje sve ono što su bile najveće zamerke na izborne uslove.
Naravno, ovaj izveštaj nije ni mogao da utvrđuje neregularnosti u vezi sa biračkim spiskom. To bi trebalo da bude zadatak buduće međunarodne istrage.
U izveštaju
@osce_odihr
stoji da je odsustvo reakcije vlasti na navode o migracijama glasača doprinelo narušavanju poverenja u birački spisak.
Monitoring ODIHR-a pokazuje da je vlast, van izbornih blokova, bila zastupljena 91% vremena na nacionalnim TV.
I am very happy to share the new report on Serbia that I wrote for
@freedomhouse
Nations in Transit
@FH_NIT
report.
Even though there were no score changes in 2022, Serbia remained a transitional/hybrid regime, with negative developments in many areas.
BIG DAY AT EWB: We have launched a new English-language platform
@serbia_elects
for reporting on the upcoming 17 December elections in Serbia. Stay tuned for news and analyses 👇
The European Parliament adopted a very critical resolution on Serbia in the wake of fradulent 17 December elections, calling for an "international investigation" - the resolution was supported by 461 votes, including almost all present EPP MEP's 👇
🇷🇸 Are you in Brussels next week and interested in the situation in
#Serbia
?
Specifically in how democratic backsliding started under
@predsednikrs
& its consequences?
Join
@KGroselj
,
@thijsreuten
& me for a screening of "The Time of Stabilitocracy" on 24 Jan at 4pm.
Serbian citizens in Kosovo were issued special non visa-free passports in agreement w/ 🇪🇺 to prevent all Kosovans from taking 🇷🇸 passports and bypassing visa requirements. With visa lib. for 🇽🇰, this no longer makes sense and represents discrimination 1/2
On which grounds should holders of 🇷🇸 passports in Kosovo require a visa to enter the EU, while holders of Albanian or any other non-🇽🇰 passports should not? I am disappointed that CSOs in Kosovo advocate for discrimination simply because it serves Kosovo's interests. 2/2
Serbia just witnessed the largest protests since 2000 and the fall of Milošević. The protests were triggered by two mass murders on 3 and 4 May, as the citizens hold Vučić's regime responsible for authoritarian rule and promotion of violence and hatred in pro-government media.
Excellent interview I did with
@JamesKerLindsay
for
@EWB_eu
about Serbia-Kosovo normalization, the necessary compromises it will have to entail, the parallels between ASM and RS, and the possibilities for territorial changes as a part of the solution.
Instead of prosecuting cases of high-level corruption investigated by independent media, the Serbian government launches investigation of these very same media and watchdog CSOs!
Does anyone still believe that this government is dedicated to EU integration?
Government of
#Serbia
🇷🇸 demands access to bank records of journalists and civil society organisations, claims the reason is the prevention of money laundering 👇
@LukaVetti
Historical ties can easily explain the love towards the Russian nation and culture, but not the adoration of Putin's dictatorship and the support for his invasion on another friendly nation.
I keep reading expert opinion on how the West "appeases" dictator Vučić at the expense of Kosovo. I believe it is quite the contrary. Vučić is being "appeased" at the expense of democracy at home precisely because he is constuctive regarding Kosovo. 1/2
"Srbiji se toleriše to što u unutrašnjem uređenju sve više liči na Rusiju i Belorusiju dokle god se ponaša u skladu sa interesima EU"
Zajedno sa
@srdjancvijic
u Mostu
@RSE_Srbija
o Vučićevom balansiranju između istoka i zapada.
Imamo veliko zadovoljstvo da najavimo televizijsku premijeru dokumentarnog filma "Vreme stabilokratije" u produkciji
@EWB_eu
i Panorama Films u četvrtak u 20:00 na TV N1 Srbija 📺
I had a pleasure of being a guest at the
@NewEastEurope
podcast Talk Eastern Europe, where I discussed 17 December elections in Serbia with
@AlexandraKarppi
👇
Latest episode of Talk Eastern Europe is out!
In this episode Adam and Alexandra start with the latest news in the region, including the new government in Poland, the trucker blockade on the Polish-Ukrainian border, Putin's 'election' bid and Slovakia moves in the legal sphere.
People also keep forgetting that is was Vučić, using authoritarian methods, who pushed for integration of Serbs into the Kosovo system in the first place. This is exactly why he received Western support, with democracy in Serbia and among Kosovo Serbs as "collateral damage" 3/3
Chairs and/or dep. chairs of foreign affairs committees of Germany, France, UK, Italy, Ireland, Denmark, Luxembourg, Czechia, Ukraine, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Greece and Poland demand an investigation on allegations of "massive electoral manipulations" in 🇷🇸
Dear President
@avucic
, this is neither a conspiracy nor a socialist campaign. You are totally isolated! 24 Senior MPs from all over Europe call on the EU to investigate the fraud allegations independently and to make recommendations to ensure free and fair elections in Serbia.
U novom broju
@NedeljnikNIN
možete naći i moj tekst o tome zbog čega je neotvaranje nijednog pogavlja u 2020. zapravo dobra vest za Srbiju i njenu evropsku perspektivu.
The irony is that Kurti, for all of his attempts to portray Vučić as "little Putin" and himself as "little Zelenskiy" is hurting Western interests and helping Russian interests by escalating the crisis and refusing compromise. Hence the Western sanctions on Kosovo. 2/3
I have the pleasure of presenting the comprehensive report "Serbian Election 2020: Erosion of Trust in the Democratic Process", which my colleagues from the Centre for Contemporary Politics /
@EWB_eu
and me wrote for Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Belgrade👇
Excellent conversation with EUSR Lajčak today in Brussels in this critical moment for the future of the Serbia-Kosovo normalization and the position of Serbs in Kosovo
I am happy to have contributed to the book "The Balkans: Old, New Instabilities", published by
@ispionline
and edited by
@Gio_Fruscione
, whom I thank once again for the invitation.
Serbian gov't used the UN Res. on Srebrenica to create a very bizarre nationalist hysteria ahead of local elections. It claimed the Res. will designate Serbs as a "genocidal people" and the message "We are not genocidal people!" appeared on billboards and on the Belgrade Tower.
The Resolution on Genocide in Srebrenica, adopted by the UN General Assembly on Thursday, served as another opportunity for the Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić to flex his nationalist muscles on eve of local elections scheduled for 2 June. 👇
Serbia voted in favour of suspending Russia's membership in the UN Human Rights Council.
We expected that the Serbian gov't will be tougher on Russia immediately after the 3 April elections, and it indeed took them just 4 days.
Serbian Security Intelligence Agency (BIA) director Vulin came under US sanctions due to "corrupt and destabilizing acts that have also facilitated Russia’s malign activities in the region”
Vulin's removal is among demands of the ongoing protests in Serbia
Veoma smo uzbuđeni što će naš film "Dug put u Evropu", prvi dokumentarni film o EU integracijama Srbije, biti premijerno prikazan na
@N1infoBG
u petak, 28. januara u 21:00 🎥
📺 Dokumentarni film „Dug put u Evropu“ u produkciji portala
@EWB_eu
i produkcijske kuće Panorama films premijerno na
@N1infoBG
📅petak, 28. 01. u ⏰21:00
📺Film će ponuditi retrospektivu evrointegracija Srbije, koje traju već više od 20 godina
Early take on election results in Serbia by
@coksioo
and me for
@ispionline
"Results will likely solidify Vučić’s grip on power, but a strong result of the SPN means that there'll be a strong pro-EU opposition that could represent a genuine alternative"
▶️ Electoral Process rating ⬇️ due to unfair electoral conditions and numerous irregularities in the December snap elections which affected electoral outcomes, especially in Belgrade, and bring into question the legitimacy of the electoral process.
It was a pleasure to be a guest speaker on the
@EuropeElects
podcast, where we discussed the upcoming Serbian elections on 21 June. P.S. Make sure you listen to more than just the introduction, the situation is as far from normal as possible.
NEW: in a Balkan special edition, our podcasters
@euanspeaks
and
@ghedengren
unpack the secrets of politics in Europe's south east.
To help they talk to Director of
@EWB_eu
,
@NikolaBurazer
about upcoming elections in Serbia.
LISTEN, RATE AND SUBSCRIBE:
▶️ Local Democratic Governance rating ⬇️ due to the organization of snap local elections in some municipalities, which signaled local governments’ subordination to the national government and opened space for organized voter migration.
This was followed by a propaganda campaign in pro-gov't media representing Vučić as figthing heorically for 🇷🇸 and achieving a moral victory against all odds. This was probably the most bizarre propaganda campaign in Vučić's 12 years of power and this says quite a lot.
I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Reinhard Priebe, Chair of the Expert Groups which commissioned the famous "Priebe reports" on the rule of law in North Macedonia and BiH
[INTERVIEW] The added value of the reports was that we said very directly where we see problems & that seemed to have worked relatively well, said Reinhard Priebe, Chair of the Senior Expert Groups on Rule of Law which produced the famous "Priebe reports".
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Belgrade published my paper "Assessment of Serbia's Progress on the EU Accession Agenda 2016-2020", which provides an overview of EU accession negotiations during this Serbian government's term 👇
@LukaVetti
There were literally photographs of Putin and the "Z" letter in support of the invasion. There is even a new mural of Putin in central Belgrade.
Serbia remains a transitional/hybrid regime, but with a clear downward trajectory towards authoritarianism.
🇷🇸 recorded ⬇️ in 4 of the 7 categories:
▶️ Electoral process (2 grades)
▶️ Independent Media
▶️ Local Democratic Governance
▶️ Judicial Framework and Independence
▶️ Independent Media rating ⬇️ due to an increasingly hostile environment for critical journalism, and the unfair and politically driven allocation of national broadcasting licenses.
▶️ Judicial Framework and Independence rating ⬇️ due to long-term trend of prosecutorial passivity in addressing politically sensitive cases and continuing government influence on the judiciary despite judicial reform.
"Članstvo u Zajedničkom tržištu EU nije moguće bez odgovarajućeg nivoa vladavine prava, ekonomija nije izolovana od politike"
Moje gostovanje na
@DnevnikNovaS
povodom novog planu EU za Zapadni Balkan koji je najavila Ursula fon der Lajen
Komentar za
@novarsonline
o ekspertskoj misiji koju je Evropski parlament tražio od Evropske komisije današnjom rezolucijom o Srbiji: "ako postoji volja, postoji i način".