European People's Party to investigate membership of Serbian SNS party

The European People's Party (EPP) has decided to "initiate a scrutiny process" astir subordinate rank of Aleksandar Vučić's Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), EPP President Manfred Weber announced connected Tuesday.

Mass demonstrations began successful November, aft a actual canopy collapsed astatine nan freshly renovated Novi Sad train station, sidesplitting 16 people.

Student protesters alleging corruption and negligence person demanded that nan president resign. Lately, protestors person complained astir constabulary brutality, excessive force, and intersexual harassment against guidance activists.

Vučić and his ruling SNS person rejected calls for early elections, accusing protesters of seeking to incite unrest.

"The EPP has not turned a unsighted oculus to what is happening successful Serbia,” Weber told reporters successful Strasbourg.

Vučić's SNS is an subordinate personnel of nan statement family, arsenic Serbia is an EU campaigner country. Associate Member Parties person adjacent links and shared values pinch nan centre-right organisation, but pinch constricted voting rights.

Vučić's policies are creating tensions wrong nan EPP, Euronews learned from respective sources wrong nan party.

"This is creating a statement wrong nan EPP family, you tin imagine. And arsenic EPP, we are alert of nan developments, we spot nan pictures, we spot nan developments there," Weber told Euronews.

Weber said that nan investigation into SNS rank would beryllium by an EPP moving group and would return spot "in nan coming days".

Criticism of Serbia is increasing wrong nan EPP

The EPP has besides been captious of nan adjacent ties betwixt Vučić and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Despite nan full-scale penetration of Ukraine and nan EU's sanctions policy, nan Serbian President decided to support adjacent ties pinch Russia, highlighting historical links pinch Russia and power security. On 9 May, Vučić joined Vladimir Putin successful Moscow for Russia's Victory Day parade, raising eyebrows successful Brussels.

An EPP root told Euronews that location are galore discussions wrong nan statement family astir really to grip Vučić's membership.

Vučić's handling of guidance protests and his ties to Putin and Orbán airs a problem for nan EPP, nan root said. On nan different hand, galore wrong nan EPP deliberation that communications channels pinch Vučić should beryllium kept open, and keeping nan SNS' subordinate rank could lend to this.

The absence of Vučić from nan EPP Valencia Congress was a sign

The root told Euronews that nan statement activity had worked difficult to downplay SNS engagement successful nan party's Valencia Congress, wherever astir of nan EPP-related heads of authorities and governments lined up successful a show of strength.

Vučić, arsenic nan caput of authorities of Serbia, would person been eligible to speak, but nan root said that EPP office wanted to debar this.

Vučić didn't recreation to Valencia, wherever statement president Miloš Vučević represented nan party. "Finally, Serbs were not visible [there]," nan root added.

Weber told Euronews that Vučić's determination not to be was his alone.

"All personnel parties and subordinate members are arsenic invited, and it's their free determination if they subordinate aliases not. Vučić decided not to come," Weber said.

A 2nd root from EPP said that wrong nan EPP, it was wide hoped that Vučić's party's rank would spell unnoticed.

Vučić was successful a push to take sides his grounds successful Europe

Euronews has sought remark from nan SNS.

In an question and reply pinch Euronews, Vučić said that Serbia's early is successful nan European Union. Defending his grounds connected dealing pinch nan wide demonstrations, he said he is fresh for dialogue. But he blamed demonstrators for nan unit connected nan streets.

"Any benignant of unit that we saw successful nan streets is not bully for this country. If you spot personification mounting occurrence aliases throwing stones against nan premises of nan ruling statement aliases attacking group who were sitting wrong and discussing their ain issues, this is not a bully image."

Despite accusations of rule enforcement utilizing excessive force, Vučić backed nan police, saying they remained calm contempt nonstop threats of unit by nan protesters.

"The guidance of Serbian constabulary to that of different large EU constabulary (forces) is almost incomparable," Vučić said.

The Serbian president also visited Ukraine for nan first time since nan commencement of nan full-scale penetration successful June, successful a show of support.

But disapproval towards nan policies of nan Serbian authorities is increasing successful Europe: The European Parliament is hosting a statement connected Tuesday evening astir nan ongoing usage of unit against protesters successful Serbia pinch Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos.

The European Green Party has accused Vučić of escalating repression of protesters, media, politicians, and state of speech. The Greens besides called connected nan EPP to property for free elections successful Serbia.