Andreas Schider, head of the delegation of the Social Democratic Party of Austria in to the European Parliament and a member of the Committee for Foreign Affairs, is informed about events in the region. He was an observer at the elections in Serbia, and he also criticized the violence of the regime in Belgrade against the citizens, as well as the lack of reaction of the European Union.
photo: sebastian filip...
For "Vreme", Šider, among other things, reflects on the local political crisis, on how the EU should behave towards Belgrade, as well as on the current international position of Serbia. The interview was conducted via e-mail.
"WEATHER" How would you describe the past almost ten months in Serbia to someone in Europe who does not follow the situation - what are the main causes and consequences of the political crisis?
ANDREAS SCHIDER: I have already spoken about it. The escalation of violence in Serbia in recent weeks is unprecedented. Attacks on opposition politicians and protesters are shocking and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. The regime in Serbia has used disproportionate police force before. However, Vučić, who is now under pressure because of the protests, is raising that violence to a new level. He defames the protesters, calling them criminals and openly threatens his own citizens.
How do you see a possible solution to this crisis??
It's simple - citizens have been wanting a change of government for a long time, but the ruling structure resists it by force.
What events in Serbia say about stabilocracy, or rather hers "to another person"? Can more universal lessons be drawn from them??
The status of a candidate for EU membership does not automatically mean the democratization of the country itself. The European Union must be stricter and more consistent in the accession process: if a country advances, we must fulfill our promises and cannot keep it in the waiting room forever. But if a country goes in the wrong direction and violates the basic principles of the EU, we have to freeze financial support.
You were an observer at the elections in Serbia. Do you think fair elections are even possible and under what conditions??
The list of irregularities in the previous elections was long: phantom voters, vote buying, biased media reporting. For elections to be truly democratic, such things must not happen again. In the current environment, it is difficult to guarantee the conditions for free and fair elections.
Pro-European citizens of Serbia, like many students who perceive Europe as "My", they are disappointed with the reaction of Brussels to human rights violations here and other shortcomings of the system. How do you explain that?, what did you call her, "curtain of silence"?
Serbia is a close partner of many European countries, including Austria during the time of former Chancellor Kurz. Especially countries led by the European People's Party (EVP) often turn a blind eye when it comes to their party friend Vučić. In addition, the European Union has economic interests in Serbia, which many European leaders do not want to jeopardize.
Do you think that curtain of silence will fall soon?
I hope so, but I'm not too optimistic.
How do you see the current international position of Serbia?? Where does Serbia actually stand?, regardless of the officially proclaimed roads?
Serbia is trying to play on two sides - to benefit from the pre-accession support of the EU, but also from the economic relations with the Union. However, Serbia has left the European path not only through the way it treats its citizens, but also because of its closeness to Putin and its refusal to comply with EU sanctions against Russia.
In mid-August, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker paid an official visit to Belgrade. Some media reported that he brought unpleasant messages to Vučić, while the pro-government ones portrayed everything as idyllic. What is she like, to your knowledge, was the atmosphere of the visit and what were the main messages?
I don't know the details of the visit, but the Austrian media presented it as both harmonious and critical of the brutal attacks. Chancellor Stocker called for reforms and said that Serbia belongs to the European family. As I have already stated, the conservative Austrian People's Party has historically close relations with Vučić.
The Serbian community in Vienna numbers about 200000 people. What is their life like there?, how integrated they are and how in touch you are with them?
The Serbian diaspora in Vienna and Austria is a highly valued part of our society. Due to the geographical proximity, it is natural that there is a large diaspora from all over the region. I am in constant contact with these people, which is crucial to understand their concerns.
