L’UE et la société civile serbe

La récente déclaration d’indépendance du Kosovo et la réaction anti-occidental qui a suivi en Serbie démontrent clairement que ce pays est encore bien loin d’un changement de cap politique et d’une idée précise de son rôle en Europe, deux éléments qui lui font cruellement défaut. C’est ce qu’a écrit Sonia Biserko, présidente du Comité Helsinki des droits de l’homme en Serbie, dans le dernier numéro de Europe’s World.

Understanding Serbia’s situation « requires a re-examination of the whole Yugoslavia crisis, » she says. But it is also about being aware of the way « events have been interpreted in Serbia » because Serbs see themselves as the victims of world powers, she argues, highlighting the country’s current « scepticism » towards « Western democratic practices ». 

What’s more, Serbia’s « failure » to define its identity has further exacerbated frustration among Serbs, argues Biserko. 

To bring social and economic change, the author calls upon an « enlightened leadership » to set about reforming the country. The international community may have contributed to worsening some matters, she says, referring to the EU’s former appeasement policy towards Serbia, which was later dropped because the country did not express « any real interest in getting closer to the EU ». 

Meanwhile, despite the « hundreds of thousands of war dead » and « the first NATO intervention in Europe after World War II, » the goal of the Serbian nationalists remains « the unification of all Serbs », she says. 

Yet Serbia needs the EU’s backing to move towards change, Biserko believes, calling on the bloc to take the following measures: 

• Support the establishment of a ‘Coalition for Europe‘ which would help the forthcoming local elections. 
• Involve the general public in the EU’s political dialogue with Serbia 
• Support the creation of a new education system that promotes European values. 
• Include human rights organisations as partners when creating a new cultural model. 

The author concludes that the international community needs to have a more « focused » and « comprehensive » strategy to achieve democratic change in Serbia.