Serbia Speaks Out: Brussels Applies Double Standards

Serbia is voicing strong criticism against the European Union, accusing Brussels of employing a "double standard" in its accession process. Prime Minister Brnabic highlighted that Serbia commenced its EU membership negotiations in 2014, a period when the conditions for candidate countries were markedly different.

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The conditions have changed since then, which cannot be considered a fair procedure.

Brnabic argued that the EU's requirements have since shifted, creating an unfair and inconsistent process for Serbia. She pointed out that Serbia has not opened any new negotiation chapters since December 2021. According to Brnabic, this stagnation is not due to Serbia's failure to meet the necessary criteria, but rather its reluctance to fully align with the EU's foreign and security policy.

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The reason is not that Serbia has not met the necessary conditions, but that it does not fully align with the European Union's foreign and security policy.

Furthermore, Brnabic contested criticisms regarding the state of democracy in Serbia, asserting that Brussels does not evaluate all candidate countries by the same measure. She cited Albania as an example, where recent police actions against opposition protests did not generate the same level of international outcry as events in Serbia.

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Brussels does not evaluate all candidate countries by the same measure.

This perspective from Belgrade suggests a perception of stricter demands and harsher scrutiny applied to Serbia compared to other nations seeking EU membership. The Serbian government feels that narratives surrounding their country often misrepresent the actual situation, leading to an unbalanced assessment by the EU.

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The European Union is more lenient with certain countries, while applying stricter requirements to Serbia.