EP’s Fajon: Serbia’s inter-party dialogue as soon as possible, even online

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The European Parliament (EP) was committed to continuing the inter-party dialogue with Serbia's political organisations as soon as possible, especially because the parliamentary elections had been announced for April 2022, Tanja Fajon, an MEP and the chair of EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee told Nova.rs on Friday.

She added it was good that Serbia’s Parliament Speaker Ivica Dacic addressed the President of the EP Foreign Policy Committee David McAllister, describing the move as „a sign of a goodwill of Serbia’s side to continue the dialogue.“

Fajon also said EP was ready to discuss possibilities and compromise as the inter-party dialogue’s main topics.

„The current pandemic and the limited movement associated with it, have brought us into an unfortunate situation in which the continuation of the dialogue at this moment is very difficult and challenging. We all need to adjust and find a solution to continue the talks. It can be online as we recommended in the letter to Serbia’s Parliament Speaker,“ she said.

Fajon and Vladimir Bilčík, the EP’s Rapporteur for Serbia, sent a letter to Dacic, suggesting the dialogue’s start.

Fajon warned that Serbia had not opened any chapter and that the process should speed up.

She added the EP was still waiting and that it was worried about the dialogue since it was not yet known who would take part.

Although the continuation of the dialogue was announced for this week, it did not happen.

Fajon said that new talks between Dacic and McAllister were due.

In the meantime, Serbia’s opposition parties which boycotted the last elections in June 2020, called for a meeting next Tuesday to try to agree on a common platform ahead of a new vote.