Annual Report of the European Commission Delivered to the National Convention on the EU
The Head of the Delegation of the European Union in Serbia, Emanuele Giaufret, presented the Annual Report of the European Commission on Serbia’s progress. In this edition of the Annual Report, the National Convention remains an important actor in monitoring and evaluating the European integration process. The European Commission is fully aware of the Convention’s contributions to the European integration process.
Ambassador Giaufret presented the main elements of the Annual Report and called for action in areas such as the rule of law and human rights. The ambassador stated that the report represents a political plan for Serbia on steps that need to be taken to get Serbia closer to the European Union. Ambassador Giaufret thanked the National Convention for its role and praised civil society for contributions to the report and further reforming Serbia and the EU agenda.
„The role of civil society in policy-making process and monitoring Serbia’s accession to the EU is very important, and that is why I came here today to officially submit a report to the National Convention. We are counting on you and your contributions to Serbia in solving issues in priority areas, primarily the judiciary, combating corruption and organized crime, freedom of the media, freedom of assembly, prosecution of war crimes before domestic courts, and environmental protection. In the context of Russian aggression against Ukraine, we also want to count on our allies to be fully with us, and that is why we call on Serbia to improve the alignment of its foreign policy with the EU’s foreign and security policy,“ the ambassador concluded.
Coordinators of the Working Groups of the National Convention evaluated the report in the context of different chapters. They presented the views of the working groups on the rule of law, political criteria, economy, social policy, etc. Representatives of the National Convention conclude that the current situation requires more intensive cooperation of all pro-European actors in emphasizing the positive role of the EU in the development of Serbia. Synergy among all pro-European actors is needed to achieve significant progress in the accession process. NCEU needs to be fully engaged in monitoring the accession process and take an active part in advocacy activities.
The National Convention announced the upcoming Plenary Session as an event where the Book of Recommendations of the NCEU will be presented and compared with the main conclusions from this year’s Country report. The plenary session will gather representatives of civil society, the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the EU Delegation, the diplomatic core, the media, and the interested public.
