During the two days of 18–19 September in Belgrade, the European Democratic Party delivered a clear message: Serbia can and must choose the European path. Sandro Gozi, Secretary-General of the EDP and MEP for Renew Europe, led meetings and discussions with democratic political forces and civil society organisations, emphasising the link between the rule of law, freedom of information and the real prospect of accession. At the public debate “Serbia’s European Hour – Lost Time or New Opportunity?”, hosted at Europe House on 18 September at 5 p.m. in front of over a hundred students, activists and political representatives, Gozi expressed his full solidarity with Serbian students, whom he described as “the new generation of democrats who represent Serbia’s European hope”.
Interviewed by N1 TV on the morning of 19 September, Gozi reiterated an essential condition: no early elections can be accepted without electoral lists cleaned up under OSCE supervision and without effective guarantees of media pluralism. For the EDP, this is the basis for fair political competition, the only way to legitimise a path towards the European Union based on common rules and the protection of civil rights. The release of students still in prison and the protection of peaceful protesters remain a priority. The threats made on public television against a young man are unacceptable, especially since they were made by another SNS leader whom President Vučić should dismiss immediately, otherwise he becomes politically complicit.
In discussions with pro-European opposition leaders — Slobodan Cvejić (Serbia Centre), Dragana Rakić and Ksenija Marinković (Democratic Party), Borko Stefanović (Party of Freedom and Justice), Natan Albahari (Free Citizens Movement – Renew), Robert Kozma (Green-Left Front) and Ana Jakovljević (People’s Movement of Serbia and member of the delegation to the Council of Europe) — Gozi called for unity among parties and student movements to build a common front capable of imposing free and fair elections. Only a broad alliance can guarantee transparency in voting, institutional reforms and international credibility, including through independent investigations into abuses and the fight against all police brutality.
During the meeting with civil society and the National Convention on the EU — including Bojana Selaković, Kori Udovički and Sonja Licht — strong criticism was levelled at the delays in the European integration process. The EPP stressed that these delays are fuelled by a conscious political choice at the top of the Serbian leadership: an ambiguous stance which, on a geopolitical level, seeks to keep multiple alignments open at the same time, slowing down the country’s alignment with EU standards and undermining the pro-European narrative. In clear but constructive terms, Gozi reiterated that only an unequivocal commitment to the rule of law, media freedom and common rules can put Serbia back on a credible path to accession.
During the mission, Gozi called for strict European conditionality, solidarity with the Serbian students nominated for the Sakharov Prize, condemnation of all violence and the urgent need for a global alliance of democracies against disinformation, from Kyiv to Belgrade. At the start of the visit, a meeting with the EU Ambassador to Belgrade, Andreas von Beckerath, provided an opportunity for a shared analysis of the political crisis in Serbia and the European levers available for promoting reforms and electoral guarantees. For the European Democratic Party, this stop in the Western Balkans confirms its ongoing commitment to the Renew Europe family: in the coming weeks, the EDP will continue its dialogue with Serbian democratic forces and will bring operational proposals to Brussels for the Union to exercise credible conditionality, supporting those in Serbia who work every day for truly competitive elections and a genuine European future.
