PES Secretary General, Giacomo Filibeck, met with a Serbian delegation from the Democratic Party (DS) led by its President, Srđan Milivojević, in Brussels today. DS is an associate member of the PES.
During the meeting, the representatives of the DS briefed the PES Secretary General on the latest political developments in Serbia following the Novi Sad tragedy that resulted in the death of fifteen people. Both parties exchanged on the vital power the student-led mass protests have brought into the democratic process in Serbia.
PES Secretary General Giacomo Filibeck said:
“Aleksandar Vučić is making a final attempt to hold his power grip by undermining the democratic process, the rule of law and by ignoring the protest of hundreds of thousands of Serbian citizens. The PES supports the European path for Serbia, the Serbian opposition and stands firmly by the protesters in the country.”
The president of the Democratic Party in Serbia, Srđan Milivojević, said:
“With his latest actions, President Aleksandar Vučić is not only preventing Serbia from moving towards its European future, but he is creating obstacles for the other countries in the region to step closer to the EU.”
During the meeting, DS and PES representatives discussed the momentum for the opposition to come together and identify a viable solution for the people of Serbia.
The PES expressed its concern about the constant attempts of the Serbian government to suppress the opposition, lately even the trade unions. A prominent fighter for workers’ rights and commissioner for the “Nezavisnost” trade union – Dragoslav Ljubicic – was fired from a state-owned Electricity Distribution Company. His contract was terminated because of his posts on social media. Ljubicic is not only a respected trade unionist, but he is also the Secretary General of an opposition party – Social Democratic Party of Serbia (SDS).
The PES condemns all attempts of the Serbian government to undermine and discredit the opposition’s leaders, the trade unions’ leaders and the people who have been on the streets protesting against Vučić for months now.
