The European Parliament called on Serbia to urgently join the EU decisions against Russia.

This is stated in a press release of the EP Committee on International Affairs.

“The report, adopted by fifty votes in favor with five votes against and three abstentions, expresses strong regret that Serbia did not join the EU sanctions after Russia's invasion of Ukraine (this is how the Russian special operation is called in the West.

- RT

) , and calls on the newly elected authorities to urgently join the decisions taken by the EU against Russia,” the EP said in a statement.

The MEPs also expressed concerns about the spread of misinformation and called on Belgrade to fight "Russian propaganda and other hybrid threats" in the Western Balkans.

As noted, the report welcomes that EU membership remains a "strategic goal" for Serbia, but deplores "the lack of progress and even regression" on issues fundamental to EU accession.

“MPs call for progress on the rule of law, fundamental rights, freedom of expression, strengthening pluralism in the media and normalizing relations with Kosovo,” the European Parliament said.

According to the MP from Slovakia, Vladimir Bilchik, in the light of the events in Ukraine, Serbia needs to realize the need for urgent measures to "advance along the European path."

“We note that more can be done for a stronger move towards the EU, and as Rapporteur of the European Parliament, I stand ready to work with the new leadership in Belgrade to help achieve positive change for a European Serbia,” he said.

Following the release of this European Parliament announcement, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić told reporters that Belgrade's foreign policy was under pressure.

However, despite the growth of Euroscepticism in the country, Serbia still remains on the path of integration into the EU, Vučić said.

According to an April opinion poll by Ipsos, 44% of Serbian citizens oppose accession to the EU, and only about 35% would support such a step, the rest of the citizens either have not yet indicated their position or have not decided.

According to local media, earlier such studies showed that about 50% of Serbs approve of Serbia's accession to the European Union.

Diktat of Brussels

Recall, on May 16, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said following a meeting of the EU foreign ministers with the ministers of six states of the Western Balkans that Serbia should implement anti-Russian sanctions as soon as possible and adhere to the EU foreign policy.

Borrell also announced that maintaining close contacts with Moscow was no longer compatible with building a common future with the European Union.

A few days later, the editor-in-chief of the publication New Serbian Political Thought, as well as sociologist and political scientist Djordje Vukadinovic, presented the results of a poll conducted by this media at a press conference in Belgrade.

According to the study, more than 82% of Serbian citizens opposed the imposition of anti-Russian sanctions due to the situation in Ukraine.

As Vukadinovic explained in a conversation with RT, most Serbs do not support sanctions against Russia, because they love this country and do not accept the approach associated with the introduction of restrictions, because Serbia was also under such restrictions.

  • Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic

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  • © IMAGO/Christian Spicker

In early June, the European Union adopted the sixth package of anti-Russian sanctions, which involves a ban on the purchase, import or transfer of crude oil (to be effective in six months) and a number of petroleum products (to be enacted in eight months) from the Russian Federation to the EU states.

For some EU countries, temporary exceptions were made to these restrictions, in particular, Bulgaria will be able to continue importing Russian oil by sea, and Croatia - vacuum gas oil.

After that, Aleksandar Vučić said that due to EU sanctions against Russian oil, Serbia is losing $600 million a year.

He explained that Iraqi oil is more expensive by $31 per barrel.

As the Serbian president noted later, Belgrade will not be able to import Russian oil from November this year due to EU restrictions.

According to him, Serbia needs to "find fuel oil", since the country consumes 350 tons of this oil product daily, and in winter it will spend seven times more.

Meanwhile, the head of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Alexander Vulin, said in an interview with the Evening News newspaper that in exchange for an accelerated procedure for considering Serbia's application for EU membership, Belgrade is offered to completely break off relations with Russia.

Vulin stressed that Serbia should not be a "commissariat or protectorate" of the EU.

"To force recognition of the independence of Kosovo"

As Pavel Kandel, a leading researcher at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted in a conversation with RT, the European Parliament's call for Serbia to join the decisions taken by the EU against Russia can be called an attempt to "influence the foreign policy of sovereign Belgrade and push through the interests of Brussels."

“At the same time, we should not forget that the recommendations of the EP are not binding, and maintaining friendly relations with Russia is one of the priorities of Serbia's foreign policy,” Kandel said.

He also explained why the number of Euroskeptics in Serbia is growing.

“This is due to the pressure of the European Union on Moscow and Belgrade.

Many Serbs support Russia and its actions in Ukraine.

At the same time, Brussels is trying to force the Serbs to recognize the independence of Kosovo, while the majority of Serbian residents do not want this and become even more zealous opponents of joining the EU, ”the expert is sure.

At the same time, Kandel told why Serbia does not refuse European integration.

“The fact is that the EU invests a lot in Serbian companies and is a major partner for this country.

For these economic reasons, Belgrade cannot refuse European integration.

At the same time, Serbia does not want to spoil relations with Russia, since it is also its strategic partner, with which it has a lot to do, including relations in the energy sector, ”the analyst stated.

Kandel predicted that the pressure from Brussels on Belgrade to refuse any cooperation with Moscow would only intensify.

“This pressure will continue until the end of the special operation in Ukraine.

The EU will not leave attempts to involve Serbia in anti-Russian sanctions,” the expert believes.

As Elena Guskova, a leading researcher at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in a RT commentary, Brussels wants Belgrade to fully align its foreign policy with the EU course.

“However, Serbia refuses to do so.

Accession to the European Union is constantly being postponed, and more and more new conditions for membership are put forward to the Serbian authorities.

The country applied to join the EU more than ten years ago, but whether it will get there is still an open question, ”the analyst believes.

According to Guskova, Belgrade believes that it is not in the interests of Serbia to impose sanctions against a country that stands for the unity of the Serbian state.

  • European Parliament

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  • © Ecomedia/Robert Fishman

“At the same time, Brussels decided to combine in its demands the recognition of Kosovo by the Serbian authorities, and the rejection of any relations with Russia, the imposition of sanctions against it.

All this is completely unacceptable for the Serbs.

Therefore, Vucic cannot fulfill these requirements, ”the expert believes.

Moreover, the Serbian side is already suffering heavy losses from the anti-Russian restrictions of the EU, Guskova noted.

“As a result of the restrictions of the European Union, the Serbian economy is becoming weaker, for the state these are really serious losses that negatively affect the population of the country.

Therefore, Belgrade does not think about anti-Russian sanctions even when it is practically forced to impose them, ”concluded the analyst.