Brnabic: Picula insists on Serbia being punished for Vucic's pro-Serbian policy

BELGRADE - Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic said on Wednesday European Parliament (EP) rapporteur Tonino Picula's insistence on punishment for Serbia had nothing to do with reforms on the country's EU path, but with the pro-Serbian policy of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

"In Tonino Picula's case, Serbia's regression is directly proportionate to the strength and perseverance with which Aleksandar Vucic is defending and representing Serbian interests. The more Vucic pursues a pro-Serbian policy, the more Picula will insist on Serbia being punished. And that has nothing to do with reforms on the European path," Brnabic posted on X in a reaction to a post by Picula in which he wrote that Serbia's progress towards EU membership cannot be based on "empty declarations, but solely on sustainable results."

Picula, a Croatian MEP, also posted that he had opposed opening Cluster 3 in Serbia's EU accession talks.

During Tuesday's EP debate on a report on Serbia, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said the European Commission had recommended opening the cluster with Serbia.