EU to Change Accession Criteria & more – 5th Dec 2023

Dobar dan from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Serbia Update from the 5th of December twenty twenty-three A quick summary of what's going down in Serbia.

The EU has requested that the European Commission change the criteria for a particular chapter of the EU accession negotiations. Chapter 35, which the EU wants to change, concerns Serbia’s relations with Kosovo. The EU intends to oblige Serbia to implement the oral agreements it made with Kosovo as a part of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, as additional conditions for Serbia’s EU membership. However, neither Serbia nor Kosovo have signed these agreements. Serbian officials said that signing them would oblige Serbia to make certain decisions that would go against the country's constitution, such as the de-facto recognition of Kosovo. President Vucic commented on the situation, saying that the EU clearly does not want Serbia to join the bloc.

Speaking of Vucic…

On Wednesday the 29th, the Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia, or CINS, published a report on the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, or SNS, and president Vucic, accusing them of participating in a scheme to purchase votes ahead of the elections. In the report, they exposed a call center tied to president Vucic that offered to employ people to call citizens and try to convince them to vote for the SNS ahead and during the elections— all while making the employees themselves vote in favor of the SNS. The job would last until the end of the elections, and the call center promised high wages, cash-in-hand payments, food during working hours, and a raised pay on the election day itself. One of the journalists from CINS went undercover and joined a group chat organizing the work of the call center’s employees. The report concluded that the call center was part of the SNS's election campaign to encourage voters to support Vucic and his party. Dusan Vucicevic, an associate professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade, said that SNS is giving bribes since he will pay the call center’s employees if they vote for him in the elections. Bribing is a criminal offense that carries a prison sentence.

Aside from criticizing Vucic for his criminal behavior, Marko Milosvaljevic, a member of the Committee of Experts on Media Sustainability at the Council of Europe, said that the government almost completely controls the media, describing the whole situation as “very bleak.” Marko pointed out that the violent environment in the media is becoming more and more common, especially with the elections approaching. He said that tabloids in Serbia write stories without paying attention to the journalism code, noting that they blatantly use vulgarities and are aggressive.

Marko also highlighted that the media is in election campaign mode constantly because the ruling party controls it. He added that the pro-government TV channels air Vucic several times a day, adding that the small coverage that the opposition gets is almost always negative.

But drama has struck the opposition as well.

Djordje Miketic, an opposition candidate for the Belgrade assembly, withdrew from the campaign after a sexually explicit private video of him leaked on social media, and later spread to the mainstream media. Vladimir Obradovic, the Serbia Against Violence coalition candidate for Belgrade Mayor said that the reason for Miketic’s withdrawal was to prevent the entire campaign from being associated with the controversy. Obradovic also blamed the ruling SNS party for the video leak, crossing all boundaries of a decent political campaign, calling this the dirtiest thing he has ever witnessed in Serbian politics. Miketic issued a press release in which he mentioned that he was set up, saying Vucic was jeopardizing the Serbia Against Violence campaign.

Pro-government media is broadcasting the footage over and over again.

Before the video leak, Vucic had criticized Miketic for his political views and insulted him multiple times on television.

On Tuesday the 28th, weeks ahead of the snap parliamentary elections, human rights organization Amnesty International confirmed that the Serbian Civil Society had been subject to advanced spyware. It attacked the phones of the Society members, who then asked for help from the SHARE Foundation, a Serbian digital rights group. The spokesperson for the Foundation noted that this is the first known case of spyware in Serbia, but they do not know who is behind it. This spyware can access the microphone and the camera of a phone, read messages, trace calls, collect passwords, and track the victim’s location. Member of the European Parliament Sophie in ‘t Veld voiced her concerns about the impact this situation may have on the elections. She pointed out that elections cannot be fair if journalists and social activists are unable to criticize the government without their human rights being attacked and democracy threatened.

In other news…

The Eparchy of Raska and Prizren, in cooperation with the French Embassy in Pristina, placed the monument dedicated to Serbian soldiers who died in the Balkan Wars and World War I back to its original place. Recall that the monument resided in the Orthodox cemetery in Pristina, until the French and German embassies decided to move it, without anyone’s approval. The embassies initially put up a new memorial in that location dedicated to the French soldiers who died in Kosovo, and placed the Serbian monument somewhere else. However, Serbian citizens launched a petition for the Serbian monument’s return to its original place, garnering more than 4,000 votes. The French and German embassies agreed to put the Serbian monument in its original location.

In some news on the economy…

Based on the data from the Agency for Business Registers, the Business and Finances Media outlet published a report called Business Top for twenty twenty-two, which includes the list of the 150 largest companies in Serbia based on generated profit and income. The Business Top reported that Serbia’s most important economic branches saw a reduction in production and export. Some branches affected are the energy, automotive, and mining sectors. They stated that the most worrisome trend is the decline in domestic private investments, adding that the reason for this downturn is state policies, which are directed at foreign investors rather than domestic ones. This trend, in return, causes long-term damage to what they labeled as the most competitive part of the Serbian economy. The report stated that the Petroleum Industry of Serbia, or NIS, generated the highest earnings and operating income, earning the first place on the Business Top list.

Speaking of businesses…

Sofija Popara, a member of the Board of Directors of the Digital Community, spoke with the news outlet Euractiv about the rights and protection of female entrepreneurs. She said that the number of entrepreneurs in Serbia is growing at an astonishing rate, currently standing at around 330,000 registered entrepreneurs, a third of which are women. She pointed out that female entrepreneurs, especially those who engage in freelance work, are particularly vulnerable, as the current system does not provide rights like maternity leave. Popara said that the lack of protection for female entrepreneurs creates an imbalance between them and employed women. She encouraged the Serbian government to adopt a Regulation, establishing a program to promote the development of entrepreneurship through financial support for women.

Now for some health-related news…

Last week, the Institute for Public Health confirmed around 4,500 COVID-19 cases, with zero deaths. Compared to the previous week, the number of confirmed cases has seen a significant increase of around 800.

And to close this edition on a positive note…

On Friday the 1st, the city of Novi Sad opened its annual winter Novi Sad Winter Land Festival, which will last until the 28th of December. Aside from market stalls that are selling Christmas market food and decorations, the festival will also feature a program of concerts, entertainment, and activities for both kids and adults. For more information about the festival, check out the link in the show notes!

Do you ever wonder who these Rorshok people are and why they care about what is going on in Serbia? If so, head over to our website to find out more about us and the other things that we do! You can read all about the organization, other projects we are carrying out, and the other podcasts we do. If something catches your eye, or you have any questions, please reach out. You can find all the contact information and the website link in the show notes.

Do daljnjeg, zbogom!