WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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SOURCE: N1-AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
"Serbia after Vučić has been discussed for a long time, not only in Europe, but also in Serbia itself, and, as far as I can see, is being successfully fought for. All democratic forces in Serbia have long had an answer for what kind of Serbia they want to have after Vučić. As far as we are concerned from the outside, our alternative instead of Vučić is all democratic forces, and students - who play a major role in the democratization of the country, and the opposition," Josip Juratović, a long-time member of the Bundestag, head of the Committee for the Western Balkans, and a member of the Social Democratic Party, tells N1.
Does the support for students coming from the European Union and individual member states also mean turning their backs on Vučić? How far is it from the position that students are seeking the values of the European Union to a policy that implies a clear departure from the Serbian government? Are European circles already thinking about Serbia after Vučić and what is the difference from a European perspective between Aleksandar Vučić and Dodik, who have a similar style of governance and very similar foreign policy preferences?
On Wednesday, the remaining three of the six activists and students detained in Novi Sad, whom European lawmakers have also assessed as being politically persecuted, were released from custody. They will defend themselves from freedom, and are accused of allegedly undermining state order.
"Those students and activists were in custody for weeks and it was simply impossible for us from the outside to observe why they were not allowed to defend themselves from freedom. I don't know what it was about, I can't interfere in the issues of the Serbian prosecutor's office, but it was important for us to clarify why they were being held in custody for so long and why they were in custody at all, as if they couldn't defend themselves from freedom. What did that prosecutor's office have so much against them? Since it was not clear to anyone, we sided with the legal system that prevails in our country - that whatever it was, it wasn't so terrible that they couldn't defend themselves from freedom," Juratović told "Iza vesti".
When asked if Europe is considering the topic of "Serbia after Vučić", Juratović says that this has been discussed for a long time.
"And not only in Europe, but also in Serbia itself. And as far as I can see - and it is fighting successfully. All democratic forces in Serbia have long had an answer for what kind of Serbia they want to have after Vučić. They want functional institutions that will professionally play a key role, they want to be part of the equal peoples of the EU, they want a democratic Serbia of equality, justice and freedom," said the N1 interlocutor.
"Students are doing everything well"
He expressed his admiration for Serbian students who, he says, have done everything well so far.
"They have done everything well, they have not allowed themselves to be provoked, which would have played into Vučić's hands. And they have shown something else - that there is another side of Serbia, for which Europe also wants to come to the fore... And the entire region, in the fight against nepotism and the autocratic system," he said.
According to Juratović, for Germany the key question is not whether Vučić will leave or stay.
"I don't think the key question for us is whether it will survive or not, but how Serbia functions, whether there is a democratic system, whether Vučić and the coalition adhere to democratic principles. It is clear that governments must cooperate, but there are MEPs who have clearly said that the way the elections were conducted cannot be accepted as a freely elected parliament in Serbia," Juratović stressed.
As he said, EU governments must accept the fact that Vučić must respect and implement the OSCE recommendations regarding free elections.
"The same applies to the election of the REM Council, in order to be able to accept the fact that the elections were conducted normally, that the will of the people was chosen, that the people were not manipulated. These are our topics and we must be clear and loud about this," Juratović reminded.
As for Serbia's internal politics, he says, the people must decide. "But not the people who are manipulated, but those who can clearly choose," he adds.
Vučić allegedly received warnings from France and Germany that the results of undemocratic elections would no longer be recognized. On the other hand, students are calling for early elections, but there is a possibility of a repeat of 2023, when despite all the electoral fraud and pressure, the election results were ultimately accepted.
"There is logic, for the simple reason that until 2023 there were no clear OSCE recommendations, there was no clear position from the ranks of parliaments, both national and EU. So now there are clear criteria according to which the elections must be held. If these recommendations are not implemented, then EU governments will also have to adopt the position - that we must cooperate with Serbia, but from a much more difficult position. We cannot ignore Serbia, but we can influence the kind of Serbia we want, and these are democratic forces and the will of the people," Juratović said.
When asked whether the alternative to Vučić for Europe is the students or the opposition, he says: "I don't think that can be divided. For us, the alternative is all democratic forces of the Serbs - and students, who play a huge role in democratizing Serbia and gaining a European perspective, and we need in parliament and the opposition, parties that will democratize Serbia... to gain a functional state".
But, he says, we must be careful not to let what Vučić is propagating in international circles happen - that there is no alternative, that chaos will ensue after him, which, Juratović adds, is simply not true.
The lithium deal is not working
And although he has been in power for 13 years, and Europe has been pretty silent about his management of the country, now, says Juratović, cooperation with Vučić is no longer safe, because it shows how much the EU criteria are not respected, especially when it comes to elections.
N1: Despite lithium?
"Despite lithium. Lithium is not decisive for the relationship between Germany and Serbia. That was an agreement that could have worked, but obviously it is not working. Because it was a relationship between a chancellor and Vučić where nothing was fulfilled... Without the people of Serbia and citizens, no agreements can be made," says Juratović.
He expresses the opinion that it was a political campaign.
"It was a more or less political campaign on both sides, my impression. Nothing is being fulfilled in order for that agreement on lithium to be implemented. You know, it's one thing to have a conversation between two heads of government, and on the other hand, the security of those agreements does not exist. This is shown in many fields. All agreements and arrangements with Serbia have no security until relations within the country are sorted out. And they are in the process and I hope that democratic elections will be held as soon as possible," Juratović emphasized.
Dodik and Vučić - not the same problem
And when asked why the EU looks differently at Dodik, who is a problem for it, and differently at Vučić, who is still not one and who, as we see in Serbia, behaves in a similar way, Juratović says that "they are not a problem in the same way".
"Both are a problem, but not in the same way. Both are autocrats, they have two policies, one for domestic policy, one for foreign policy. Dodik does not respect the laws and decisions of the states he leads and is seriously selling out Republika Srpska, enriching himself at the expense of Republika Srpska. While Vučić has not been convicted and does not break the law. But he manipulates the state and that is the difference," Juratović assessed.
But, although democratic forces in Serbia prove on several levels that Vučić is still violating the laws and the Constitution of Serbia, for the EU he is obviously not as big a problem as Dodik.
"Dodik has been convicted, does not respect the law and that in some way he is selling out Republika Srpska. As for Vučić, we are critical of him, but not him as a person, after all, the entire regime is like that. There are many little Vučićs behind Vučić. A distinction must be made here, not in terms of relations, but putting Vučić and Dodik in the same basket, I think is not correct, from our point of view from the outside. "I know how Vučić is viewed in Serbia, but we must also respect some institutional processes, no matter how much they are influenced by the regime," he explains.
Since the German CDU and SNS are sister parties at the European level, Germany will not, says Juratović, openly attack Vučić, but will clearly let him know where the limits of tolerance are.
"I think it should be seen that way. The difference between the two parties is that the CDU is a democratic party, a conservative party that is based on the values that students and the democratic opposition are fighting for," Juratović said.
