European Movement in Serbia 3/2018 |
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Europe Day 2018
On Europe Day, May 9th, the European Movement in Serbia held a traditional drive in central Belgrade, during which members of the EMinS` Youth Forum distributed information and promotional materials and talked with the public about possibilities for inclusion and for contributing to positive changes in our society.The motto of this year's observance of Europe Day was "Messages to Europe", and it invited the people of Serbia to participate in the discussion about Europe and with Europe.
The President of the European Movement in Serbia, Mr. Mihailo Crnobrnja, said that Euro-skepticism was strong in Serbia and in Belgrade. "Almost 40 percent of students are against EU membership. They believe Russia to be Serbia's first and most important friend. They also believe that the EU is not fair to Serbia and that it constantly imposes new rules against Serbia. There is an impression that the EU is anti-Serb orientated, which is not true," Crnobrnja said.
The EMinS` Secretary General Ms. Suzana Grubješić, stressed that Europe relied on three pillars: democracy, the rule of law and human rights, and that, as soon as one of them is shaky, the entire structure begins shaking. "Nowadays in Europe, the biggest problem is the rule of law. In Eastern European countries which have joined the EU, populism is the greatest threat to European values. Solidarity, as a great European value, was put to a serious test during the migrant crisis.
When we talk about European values, we must be realistic, but strive towards making Serbia a state of law, democracy, respect for human rights, and with free media," Grubješić stated.
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European Classes in Vlasotince |
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Representatives of the Youth Forum of the European Movement in Serbia held the fifth European Class at the Vlasotince Technical vocational school on the importance of the European Union for the life of citizens. Peer educators discussed with pupils what the EU represents to them, how the EU integration works and the usual preconceptions. Youth Forum President, Ms. Ivana Markulić said she was glad that the last European Class of the project was held at the Vlasotince school, one of the greatest recipients of EU funds in Serbia. EMinS` Young educators and activists Nevena Nedeljković and Oleg Slatina agreed that youth in Vlasotince was open to exchange of opinions and experiences with their peers, but that they lacked informal education. The fifth European Class was held as part of the Europe to Me project, supported by the EU Delegation to Serbia. Earlier Classes were held at secondary schools in Petrovac na Mlavi, Stara Pazova, Loznica and Tutin.
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Celebrating 70 years of the European Movement in The Hague |
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On 24 and 25 May, the European Movement International celebrated its 70th anniversary in The Hague with the two-day event ‘Sharing Europe’. Citizens, policy-makers, trade unions, civil society and business came together to discuss the main issues facing Europe today. The second day of celebrations took place in the Ridderzaal in the Dutch Parliament, where the 1948 Congress of The Hague was held, which laid the groundwork for the establishment of the European Movement and the foundations of the European Union itself. The EMinS was presented by Ms. Maja Bobić, Vice President and Ms. Dina Rakin, Deputy Secretary General.
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External and Internal Circumstances Need to Be Aligned for EU Membership |
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Different levels of cooperation and integration within the EU have become a part of European integration, and Serbia's speed on the road to membership will depend on external but above all on internal factors, the participants of The EU's Current Challenges Conference said on May, 10th. The
Professor Jovan Teokarević from the Faculty of Political Sciences said that the main obstacles to Serbia's faster integration with the EU were both internal and external in character. He said that after an ambitious and optimistic Enlargement strategy from February, we have received several wake-up calls, including a statement by French President Emmanuel Macron that there would be no Enlargement until the EU was reformed.
"When the rule of law is concerned, we will not be able to join the EU for a long time, as throughout the region we have potentates, we are not meeting European standards, and everyone who will decide our fate sees this," Teokarević stated.
EMinS` President Mihailo Crnobrnja said that the EU needed to raise its standards, which would have to be followed by Serbia if it wished to become a part of the EU. "We must be ready for a lot of work in the coming period. We need to work hard not just within Chapters 23-24 or around or Kosovo issue, but in other areas, too, if we want to be true Europeans," Crnobrnja said.
The Conference was organised within #EuropeDay Celebration in cooperation with EU Info Centre and FEFA Faculty.
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Event >> Serbia and the EU: After Sofia Summit
European Movement in Serbia and Faculty of Political Sciences organize a debate "Serbia and the EU: After the Sofia Summit, on Wednesday, June 13, 2018, in the hall 1 of the Faculty of Political Sciences (Jove Ilića 165, Belgrade) beginning at 12pm.
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The continuation of European integration process and perspectives of the relations between Serbia, the region and the EU after the Sofia Summit, will be addressed by:
- Suzana Grubješić, Secretary General, European Movement in Serbia,
- Prof. Dr. Slobodan Samardžić, University of Belgrade - Faculty of Political Sciences,
- Dr. Dušan Proroković, Head of the Center for Eurasian Studies, Institute for International Politics and Economy,
- Milan Igrutinović, associate, Institute for European Studies.
Debate will be held in Serbian with no translation provided.
This ends a series of 20 events organized by the European Movement in Serbia and the Faculty of Political Sciences in 17 cities in Serbia, in cooperation with the European Movement in Serbia - Sremska Mitrovica and the European Movement in Serbia - Kraljevo, as a part of the "EU2Me" project supported by the Delegation of the European Union in Serbia.
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Take a look at what we have been up to during our project "Partnership for Good Governance" (English subtitles).
We wanted to give voice to our citizens to evaluate public services in Serbia and demand equal and quality delivery, as well as research public policy development process in the field.
Our two-year project was implemented in partnership with the European Policy Centre (CEP) and 12 local partners Pro-Pozitiv, Protecta – Niš, Youth Centre Timok and 9 members of European Movement in Serbia Network from Subotica, Novi Sad, Sremska Mitrovica, Lazarevac, Valjevo, Kraljevo, Kruševac, Novi Pazar, and Leskovac. Project was supported by the USAID/Serbia.
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