Lopandić: Vučić's call to EU candidates absurd, such statements should not be made before consultations

Duško Lopandić, vice-president of the Serbia Center (SRCE) party, has sharply criticized Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić's suggestion to convene EU candidate countries in Belgrade for discussions on their stance toward Brussels. Lopandić, a former head of Serbia's Mission to the EU, deemed the idea "absurd" and stated that such proposals should not be made without prior consultation with the involved candidate nations.

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statements, like the idea of President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić that EU candidate countries should gather in Belgrade and discuss how to position themselves towards Brussels, should not be made without prior consultations with the candidates.

Lopandić's remarks, made during Vučić's official visit to Georgia, highlighted his view that Georgia's own EU integration process is stalled. He characterized Georgia as an EU candidate "only on paper," citing the Georgian government's alleged abandonment of EU negotiations and a "regression of democracy, repression in media and freedom of expression" in Tbilisi. Lopandić drew parallels to Serbia, noting the imprisonment of political opponents and ongoing citizen protests.

"A crow likes a crow," Lopandić remarked, suggesting Vučić's affinity for Georgia's leadership stems from shared practices in suppressing protests and media freedom, as well as implementing "anti-European measures towards the judiciary, universities, and similar."

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Georgia is a candidate for the EU 'only on paper,' and the Georgian government itself has abandoned the EU and halted negotiations.

He further contended that Vučić's proposed summit could irritate both Brussels and EU candidate countries like Ukraine and Moldova, which have recently opened negotiation clusters. Lopandić sarcastically suggested Vučić might use the summit to share experiences on collaborating with Russian services to combat protests, as he has reportedly boasted, or on transforming Serbia into a "hybrid platform for interfering in other people's elections," citing alleged interference in Moldova and Hungary.

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A crow likes a crow, so Vučić with the leadership of Georgia can exchange similar experiences in the fight against civil protests and repression of freedom, media and various anti-European measures towards the judiciary, university and the like.

While acknowledging the value of good relations and cooperation with other countries, including opening embassies in Caucasus nations, Lopandić pointed out that Serbia has yet to open embassies in all Baltic states and Ireland, despite claiming EU accession as a priority. He concluded that the visit to Tbilisi has no connection to aligning Serbia's foreign policy with the EU, but rather illustrates the "tendencies of former Šešelj's student."

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Vučić's story about the EU candidate gathering in his 'EU gathering' might perhaps share experiences about cooperation with Russian services in the fight against civil protests in Serbia, as he boasted, or about the ways he has turned the country into a hybrid platform for interfering in other people's elections, like the one we saw before the elections in Moldova or Hungary.