**MEPs Ask EU Chief to Call Off Meeting with Vucic**
Two members of the European Parliament, Vladimir Prebilic and Gordan Bosanac, have written a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. They express deep concern about her scheduled meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
**Protests in Serbia**
The MEPs say that the timing of this meeting sends a troubling signal given the political crisis in Serbia. In recent days and months, Serbia has seen its largest protests ever. Citizens are outraged over systemic corruption and the tragic collapse of a railway station canopy that killed 15 people.
**Growing Public Demand**
These student-led protests highlight growing public demand for accountability, transparency, and democratic reform. The MEPs say this is in line with European Union values. However, they note that the EU’s credibility in the Western Balkans has already been undermined.
**Perceptions of Ignoring Democratic Backsliding**
The MEPs caution that meeting with President Vucic now risks reinforcing perceptions that the EU ignores democratic backsliding and alienates the Serbian people from the EU. They also mention the persecution of credible partners in civil society and the alleged use of unlawful technology for crowd control.
**Request to Reconsider Meeting**
Prebilic and Bosanac strongly urge von der Leyen to reconsider this meeting. Instead, they suggest using this moment to send a clear message on behalf of the EU that Serbia urgently needs a transitional government to restore public trust and lay the groundwork for genuinely free and fair elections.
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