7 hours agoEU voices concern over intervention in civil society organisations in Serbia
Periskopi(a year ago)
(a year ago)The European Union is closely following developments about the interventions of authorities in Serbia towards certain civil society organisations. So a European Union spokesman has said Wednesday, answering questions about the police's recent actions in Serbia, which has undertaken operations at offices [...]
So a European Union spokesman has said Wednesday, answering questions about the police's recent actions in Serbia, which has undertaken operations at the offices of several civil society organisations.
“Civil society plays a vital role in the development of a democratic and pluralistic society, and it must act in a free and non-pressive manner. These are values which not only are at the foundation of the European Union but are also necessary for the future of any candidate country that wants to join the EU”, this spokesman has said.
On 25 February, the Office of the High Public Prosecutor in Belgrade has announced that it has opened a case regarding allegations of misuse of funds from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from several non-governmental organisations in Serbia.
The prosecution confirmed the same day that Serbia's police started “to collect information” for work four NGOs: Centre for Research, Transparency and Accounting (CRTA), Civic Initiatives, Centre for Practice Policy, and Trag Foundations.
CRTA and Civic Initiatives have confirmed that police raided their offices on the morning of February 25th.
The Serbian authorities' action came after US President Donald Trump limited USAID's work by ordering a 90-day freeze of its spending on 24 January, ahead of an audit of the agency, which was founded in 1961, with the best co-ordination of American aid distribution abroad.
Since Trump's return to the White House, his administration and close relatives have repeatedly called USAID “criminal organisation”.
“As we have said in Serbia's latest enlargement package, it is expected to provide a suitable environment for civil society action. We will continue to monitor developments in Serbia” closely, the European Commission spokesman reports.
Serbia's President Aleksandar Vuciq has said Serbia will assist the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in its investigations about financing Serbian NGOs from U.AID and the National Foundation for Democracy (NED).
“No doubt we will co-operate closely with the FBI on this issue”, Vuciq told Happy television, adding that the FBI will receive whatever information it needs from Serbia.
