Serbien

The European Parliament will ask to suspend Serbia’s EU membership talks for as long as Belgrade refuses to join the bloc’s sanctions against Russia.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he expected difficult talks with Kosovo's Prime minister on Thursday because the western Balkan neighbours disagree on almost everything but said peace and stability were crucially important.

With only eight hearings held since the beginning of 2020 – and none in 2022 – the trial of seven former Bosnian Serb special policeman accused of taking part in the executions of 1,300 Bosniaks has again been delayed.

The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption, GRECO, said in its latest report on Tuesday that further measures are needed to prevent corruption among top public servants in Serbia, including the president, ministers, their assistants, state secretaries, chiefs of cabinet and political advisers, as well as police officials.

Serbia's incumbent president, Aleksandar Vucic, has secured 59.5% of votes in a presidential election, the State Election Commission said on Monday after counting 87.67% of ballots.

Serbia has set April 3 for a presidential election, twinning the vote with parliamentary and local balloting on the same day.

Serbia sees rise in lawsuits to silence media and activists: report

There has been an increase in so-called SLAPP lawsuits launched by Serbian officials and public figures seeking to curb scrutiny by muzzling independent media and rights campaigners, says a new report.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission for the 3 April presidential and early parliamentary elections in Serbia, … . The mission is headed by Douglas Wake and consists of a core team of 15 international experts based in Belgrade and 27 long-term observers, who will be deployed throughout the country from 4 March. ODIHR also plans to request 250 short-term observers, to arrive several days before election day.

Military veteran Zdravko Ponos, an opposition candidate for president in an election in April, tells BIRN that Serbia will struggle to recover from five more years of Aleksandar Vucic.

The draft election laws arose as a result of parallel inter-party dialogues on election conditions, conducted with and without EU mediators, as well as on the recommendations of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions.