The European Commission is taking seriously the attempts to discredit the MEPs included in the observation mission for the parliamentary elections in Serbia on October 25. This was stated by a spokesperson for the Commission in response to questions at a press conference.
“We take very seriously any attempt to discredit MEPs included in the observation mission“, the spokesperson said.
EC expects cooperation from Belgrade
According to him, the mission was requested by Serbia. It aims to monitor the democratic nature of the electoral process, with the European Commission expecting all countries, including candidates and potential candidates for EU membership, to cooperate constructively and take international efforts into account.
Belgrade is expected to organise the elections in line with European and international requirements. The Commission is closely following the upcoming vote, and fair, transparent and free elections are a fundamental requirement of European democracy.
Dispute over the composition of the mission
Speaker of the Serbian Parliament, Ana Brnabić, has sent a letter to the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Mezzola, objecting to the composition of the European Parliament representatives in the international observation mission.
The objection to the appointment of Andreas Schieder as head of the parliamentary delegation is particularly strong. According to Brnabić, public actions of several members of the delegation in the past show political bias.
The European Commission did not indicate a change in the composition of the mission. The spokesperson's statement makes it clear that Brussels expects the observers to fulfill their mandate and the Serbian authorities to ensure constructive interaction before and during the election process.
Sources: bta.bg