By V4 Agency
MEP Andor Deli, a delegate of Hungary’s larger ruling party (Fidesz) originally hailing from Vojvodina, spoke at the European Parliament plenary session on Thursday. According to delegation president Kinga Gal, the bias in the Serbia report reflects the double standard applied by the liberal-leftist majority of the European Parliament, which is regularly employed against right-wing conservative governments.
The 2019 and 2020 reports on Serbia featured on the agenda of the European Parliament’s plenary session on Thursday. During the debate Fidesz MEP Andor Deli (originally from Vojvodina) stressed that this year’s EP report unduly criticizes Serbia from a political and ideological viewpoint, which does not serve the country’s timely accession to the EU.
“If we are aware of the importance of Serbia in the region, we must also know that delaying accession is contrary to the EU’s own interests. We in the Fidesz EP delegation have always worked to ensure that Serbia become a full member of the EU as soon as possible,” Andor Deli began his speech.
“Due to the amendments tabled by the leftists, the text of the report unfortunately lacks the necessary objectivity.” Mr Deli mentioned, for example, the questioning of the legitimacy of last year’s elections and the resulting composition of the Serbian parliament. “The citizens of Serbia have already expressed a strong opinion on these issues in the elections.” The MEP also drew attention to criticism of Serbia’s national healthcare system and pandemic response, while in terms of vaccination, the country has far outpaced the member states from where these criticisms come. “Perhaps they should clean up their own domestic acts first!” the MEP hailing from Vojvodine has stressed.
Andor Deli added that some EU member states, including Hungary, have already experienced how EP reports tend to beused as a tool of political blackmail, but employing this method against an EU candidate country sends a very bad message regarding enlargement. “As we strongly support Serbia’s EU integration, the report on Serbia is unacceptable to Fidesz representatives,” the MEP concluded.
In her speech, Group Chairperson Kinga Gal pointed out that the bias in the Serbia report reflected the double standard regularly applied by the liberal-leftist majority in the European Parliament, which was repeatedly employed against right-wing conservative governments.
“Of the country reports just discussed, the report on Serbia is a strikingly critical, one-sided voice against a right-wing conservative government-led Serbia, which does not facilitate the enlargement process, and in fact hamper negotiations. Serbia is a stabilizing factor in the region: it is clearly striving for a peaceful settlement, it has made significant progress in its relations with its neighbours, it is defending the European Union’s external borders, the rights of national minorities have improved significantly and Serbia’s economy is performing well. In the meantime reports on the left-wing-led countries of North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo have a much more permissive tone. I see this yet again as an example of the double standard so often used in the European Parliament,” she emphasized.
According to Ms Gal, such a politically-based approach does not help the stability of the Western Balkans and the acceptance of the Union, even though the EU has a vested interest in a prosperous region that is able to defend its own borders effectively.
“Instead of making constant promises, the EU must finally act, as the future of the countries of the Western Balkans, the security of our continent and the credibility of the bloc are at stake,” the politician underlined.