Here's what they think in Belgrade about Vuciqi's proposal regarding Kosovo

Political analysts insist President Aleksandar Vuciq's recent proposal for a <x0logo internal» on Kosovo's status is the latest of a series of initiatives to open public discussions and reach consensus on key social and political issues, even though none of them have been successfully completed so far.

Vuciq wrote in an article about the daily newspaper Blic (read in tears below) Last week the Serbian nation needs to stop putting its head into the sand» in terms of the Kosovo issue and start «an internal dialog about it.

«We should try to be realistic, not to lose or give what we have, but we should not wait to get what we lost long ago», Vuciq said in an article on July 24th. He did not offer any concrete proposals for his part.

Economist Milan Kovacevic expressed scepticism for Vuciqi's words, suggesting that the only thing that wants to reach this Serbian president is «to strengthen his authority».

I don't think he intends to have any in dialogue right now. After all, if he is inviting for a dialogue, it would be more reasonable for him to give his opinion», Kovacevic told BIRN.

Boban Stojanovic of the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade asked what such a process could achieve, as Vuciq already has a fixed stance on Kosovo's future.

I don't think that this dialogue, if ever happens, will have any conclusions», Stojanovic told BIRN.

Stojanovic believes that Vuciq is not ready to recognise Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008, and so that the internal «dialog could have no impact on reality.

Lack of Understanding

Vuciq has started <x0log» on a series of other important issues in the past, only to do nothing more about them or make decisions himself.

In March 2014, prior to that year's parliamentary elections, Vuciq promised to reach a national consensus on the issue of painful economic reforms.

Our «task is to unite Serbia. We do not want great power, but for the people in Serbia to reach a consensus to have a good and normal», Vuciq said at the time.

Several months after the elections, in which his Progressive Party won the majority of votes, new Prime Minister Vuciq said reforms would be held without consensus.

A few months later, the government introduced austerity measures, lowering all pensions and salaries in Serbia's public sector, which were higher than 25,000 dinars (about 210 euros) per month.

Serbian authorities have also boasted that they have promoted dialogue on social issues, as Vucic met with representatives from the European Union Convention and two Serbian unions in April of this year.

However, a recent agreement among Fiat Chrysler Automobiles workers in Serbia and their employers, mediated by the government, has been criticised for undermining workers' rights.

We have the opposite of social dialogue. Look what is happening with all strikes and what the state is doing», Kovacevic said.

He cited the example of «Gosa», a company whose employees are currently on strike, demanding salaries owed to their employers.

Strike in «Gosa» recently prompted the president of the Sloga Union, Zelko Veselinovic, to declare the pointless «» social dialogue in Serbia.

If the social dialogue existed, Vuciqi would not have to put out fires by offering each employee 60,000 dinars (500 euros) --», Veslinovic told the N1 regional television station, referring to payments promised by Vuciqi.

The lack of public consensus has also been used by Vuciqi in the past as a reason for failing to act on vital issues.

In 2016, Vuciq said the government «has no force» to fight hooliganism in sports ʹ a deeply entrenched problem in Serbia because there is no «no social consensus» to take measures.

He never explained who opposed the oppression of hooliganism.

Waiting to be addressed is also the question of changing the Serbian constitution, which Vucinic also says wants consensus.

The country's media have speculated for several years that the EU is demanding that Serbia lift or change the pre-mult of the country's constitution, which states Kosovo is part of Serbia.

Stojanovic said the «dialog of the internal» proposed by Vuciq may refer to these changes, but he does not believe the president will dare to deal seriously with this politically explosive topic (read down the complete file published in Lacy.al).

«over the next year or two years, the only serious discussion that can be held may have links to the shell, but I don't think he will have the courage to address this issue», Stojanovic said.