The Importance of the European Parliament’s Resolution for the Fight Against Corruption
In the draft of the European Parliament’s resolution which is being adopted on the occasion of the anniversary of the tragic collapse of the canopy in Novi Sad, and amid protests and polarization in society, the key problems of corruption in Serbia are addressed far more clearly and decisively than in previous resolutions adopted by this body.
Transparency Serbia considers it extremely important that the European Parliament recognizes that “possible corruption” related to the contracting and execution of railway reconstruction works is part of a broader issue - namely, the fact that Serbia concludes its most valuable infrastructure projects without applying the Law on Public Procurement. The Resolution explicitly mentions, in this context, the interstate agreement between Serbia and China, but TS reminds that the problem is much wider, since Serbia concludes similar deals with companies from other countries as well.
Although the exclusion of the Public Procurement Law through special acts is not mentioned this time, EU member states that will participate in the EXPO 2027 exhibition are called upon to take into account “serious concerns and evidence of widespread corruption linked to the ruling authorities, as well as the reported lack of compliance with basic construction standards and legal requirements in the organization and construction of the exhibition.” The Resolution calls for improved transparency in all infrastructure projects. TS notes that transparency has only slightly improved, since, even after the tragedy in Novi Sad and the publication of a larger number of documents for that project, the contracts for dozens of other projects concluded without applying the Public Procurement Law have still not been disclosed - only partial information related to them.
The Resolution also addresses the investigations following the Novi Sad tragedy in two ways. It emphasizes the importance of determining whether corruption influenced the tragedy itself (for example, by lowering construction standards). On the other hand, it expresses regret over the “obstruction of justice” regarding the investigation of two former ministers of construction suspected of damaging the budget in the contracting process, and it condemns the “smear campaign against judges and prosecutors” handling these cases “through pro-government channels.”
In the section concerning elections, Members of the European Parliament explicitly highlight certain forms of electoral process undermining, including voter pressure, vote buying, the “systemic advantages” of the ruling party, and the role played by the President of the Republic in the campaigns. Serbia is again urged to “immediately and fully” implement the recommendations of ODIHR and the Venice Commission. Transparency Serbia reminds that it has already proposed numerous solutions for some of these recommendations, particularly regarding the prevention of misuse of public resources, campaign financing and amendments to the Criminal Code
A large part of the draft Resolution is devoted to student and citizen protests and to the authorities’ attempts to suppress them. Some of the protesters’ demands are recognized as being in line with what the EU expects from Serbia (accountability, rule of law). The Resolution condemns negative campaigns against participants and retaliation against public sector employees who supported them, attacks on demonstrators, the suspension of public transport for protest participants, the occupation of the park and square between the Presidency and the National Assembly buildings, as well as the “arbitrary” use of presidential powers to exempt certain individuals from criminal responsibility.
According to TS, it is very significant that the Resolution clearly states the gap between the Serbian officials’ declarations of commitment to EU integration and the country’s backsliding in four key areas: rule of law, media freedom, judicial independence, and the fight against corruption and stresses that progress is possible only if “measurable and sustainable progress” is achieved in these core fields. Although the text does not refer to Serbia’s anti-corruption plans, which TS deems insufficient to achieve such progress, it explicitly mentions “cooperation with GRECO,” whose unfulfilled recommendations concern preventing corruption in the executive branch and the police.
The Resolution also cites several specific actions by government representatives that are either condemned or raise concern. Among them is the issue of negotiations between the authorities and the owners of United Media, “to ‘weaken’ independent media outlets operating under it.” The Resolution warns that, if confirmed, such negotiations would “represent a serious attack on the already endangered media pluralism in Serbia.”
The draft Resolution discussed here represents a joint proposal resulting from a compromise among five political groups, while earlier eight groups had submitted their own drafts - all but one of which gave significant attention to the issue of fighting corruption.