Lopandić: “Europe Hates Us” Is an Alibi for Vučić’s Strategic Failure

The slogan “Europe hates us” has become a convenient excuse for what former diplomat Duško Lopandić calls President Aleksandar Vučić's strategic failure, according to comments carried by N1 Belgrade.

Lopandić, a university professor and deputy leader of the Serbia Centre party, said the authorities' reaction to the cancellation of European Commissioner Marta Kos's visit showed that the government's radical character had returned in a recycled form. The cancellation followed the glorification of Ratko Mladić, and Lopandić said officials were using the episode to justify their conduct.

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When it comes to Ratko Mladić, the radical character is visibly returning in a recycled form.

“When it comes to Ratko Mladić, the radical character is visibly returning in a recycled form,” Lopandić said on the Novi Dan programme. He argued that the same pattern could be seen in Serbia's relations with neighbouring countries and the European Union. Serbia, he said, had made progress in 2012 and 2014 but had moved far away from the country it was in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

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Europe hates us.

Lopandić said Vučić had attracted voters by presenting EU membership as his strategy, but had since effectively given up on membership without consulting the public or formally adopting a decision in parliament or the government. He compared the president to a secondary-school student who realizes he cannot complete his grade and asks to finish a course instead. In this analogy, the course represents an arrangement short of full EU membership, such as access to the European market and Schengen travel.

He said Brussels was discussing phased integration ahead of an EU enlargement summit scheduled for mid-October. Lopandić predicted that Serbia would not receive a favorable decision, which he said helped explain the “Europe hates us” policy. He added that officials would have called Marta Kos an extremist if she had come from Croatia, while insulting her because she is Slovenian. On a possible visit by Ursula von der Leyen, he expressed concern that she could again support Vučić if she arrived during a sensitive pre-election period, recalling that she had previously visited during a campaign and offered highly positive assessments.

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This just and righteous man, who admittedly killed thousands of unarmed people, is being slandered again, so we must do something.