Bosanac: Fair elections are Serbia's only way out of stalemate

European Parliament member Gordan Bosanac asserted that Serbia's journey toward European Union membership must be resolved internally, stating, "No report, no opening or closing of clusters can resolve things; primarily, they must be resolved in Serbia." He highlighted the strong support for a recent EP resolution on Serbia, noting its clear stance on the significant problems hindering Serbia's EU path.

Bosanac expressed surprise at the European Commission's (EC) efforts to accelerate Serbia's accession process. He described this approach as "realpolitik," suggesting the EC is trying to keep Serbia on the European path through small concessions, despite the deeply polarized political climate. "Many people asked me today why the EC is doing this, but I would say the EC is acting from a position of realpolitik," Bosanac said. "We have elected people there, there are problems, but it is in our interest to keep Serbia on the European path, so we will motivate Serbia with this small concession to start implementing reforms."

He criticized the EC for overlooking Serbia's extreme polarization, which he believes could lead to various interpretations of such maneuvers and trigger public dissatisfaction with the EU. "I think the EC got a bit ahead of itself there, but today we see in the council that it will not pass," Bosanac added.

Bosanac described the latest EP report as harsher than previous ones. He recalled Belgrade's dismissive reactions to earlier reports, calling it a legitimate but incorrect approach. Given the current tense and politically unstable situation, he believes fair elections are the only way forward. "There is no messing around with elections; if there is messing around, it is a potential bomb that can explode in Serbia, because people have had enough," he stated. "Let's try to ensure that fair elections happen in Serbia, to see who has the majority and who does not."

Recalling Croatia's EU accession, Bosanac noted that the country also received poor reports and required years of progress. He reiterated that Serbia's issues must be resolved between its government, opposition, and citizens, who have been demonstrating for over a year. "If there is no REM, there are no free and fair elections, period. Nothing more needs to be added," he concluded, referring to the regulatory body for electronic media.

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Ako nema REM, nema slobodnih i fer izbora, i tačka. Nema se šta više dodavati.