Statement from the President of the External Relations Section and the co-chairs of the EU‑Serbia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC)

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Serbia

We strongly support the enlargement of the EU to embrace its Western Balkans partners providing that they fulfil all criteria for membership, with a particular accent on the Fundamentals.

We therefore express our deepest concerns about the recent attempts of criminalizing civil society, media and political opposition in Serbia. Events involving the Crime and Corruption Reporting Network (KRIK) and the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA) can be harmful to the Serbian accession process, as they weaken the basic principles of democracy, rule of law and freedom of the media.

We call on the authorities to protect independent media and civil society organisations in Serbia. They have to be able to practice their activity in a free and enabling environment, a precondition for any democratic society.

Dimitris DIMITRIADIS, President of the External Relations Section
Boško SAVKOVIĆ, co-chair of the EU-Serbia Joint Consultative Committee
Aurel Laurenţiu PLOSCEANU, co-chair of the EU-Serbia Joint Consultative Committee

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