Dear President von der Leyen,

We are writing in our capacity as members of the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) regarding your planned visit to Serbia in October.

We fully recognise the importance of continued high-level EU engagement with Serbia. However, given that the parliamentary elections will take place in late October, your visit could coincide with the final and most sensitive phase of the electoral campaign. In Serbia’s highly polarised political and media environment, there is a real risk that an official visit by the President of the European Commission could be instrumentalised as a message of European support for the incumbent authorities.

We are certain that this would not be your intention. Nevertheless, the political significance of a visit at this level cannot be assessed separately from the circumstances in which it takes place. This is particularly important given the European Commission’s own concerns about democratic standards in Serbia, including the functioning of democratic institutions, media freedom and the rule of law. Proceeding with the visit during the electoral campaign could therefore create an impression of EU endorsement that would be difficult to reconcile with the Union’s stated commitment to democratic standards and a level electoral playing field.

Against this backdrop, we strongly urge you to consider postponing the visit until after the elections. Such a decision would not signal disengagement with Serbia; rather, it would send a clear and unambiguous signal that the European Union will not allow its highest-level political engagement to be used, intentionally or otherwise, to confer legitimacy or electoral advantage on any side in a democratic contest.

The EU’s credibility in the Western Balkans depends not only on its willingness to engage with governments, but also on its ability to uphold the democratic principles and standards on which the enlargement process is founded.

Yours sincerely,

Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG)