'What means the most to me is the support of ordinary people who I meet at the green market on weekends, as well as in the cities I visit. In these challenging circumstances, it would be a good idea to consider merging European integration with foreign affairs'
Milan Antonijević, a lawyer and human rights activist, is one of the serious candidates for the post of the new Minister for European Integration. In his interview with Kurir, he does not rule out the possibility of taking over this ministry in the new Ana Brnabić's Cabinet. He has been getting support for that from various quarters every day, he says. Still, he adds, what means the most to him is the support of ordinary people that he meets at the green market on weekends, as well as in the cities that he visits.
According to Antonijević, the situation in Ukraine and the energy crisis have opened a whole new chapter in the integration processes on the European continent.
"The recently held summit in Prague is only a start of these processes, in which Europe is demonstrating unity – from Portugal to Azerbaijan, from Sweden to Greece, and across the entire Western Balkans. In these processes, as always in the past, Serbia is on the right side of history, as it attempts to secure for itself the most favourable position in an emerging global crisis which is likely to last a long time. That said, I hasten to add that the project of European unity since World War II until the present day has come out of every crisis the stronger, the community of the European nations has expanded, and the integration has become deeper. In these challenging circumstances, it would be a good idea to consider merging the European Integration portfolio with the Foreign Affairs portfolio in the future government. The foreign and European policies should work hand in hand in order to improve the foreign-policy position of our country, not only in the EU integration process, but also for the purposes of other diplomatic battles."
You name is increasingly mentioned as one of the most serious candidates for the post of Minister for European Integration. Have you already had talks with someone about this?
"Personally, I've been talking about all these problems for years with the broadest circle of people in politics, the government as much as the political opposition, as well as the representatives of the international community, the civil society, and the academic community – with anyone whose knowledge and contacts can contribute to improving Serbia's position and a faster integration into the family of the European nations. I always accept job offers from those who I talk which contribute to these processes. Much has been done in the previous period with the representatives of the executive, but also though other fora. Running a government ministry is a great challenge, and I've been getting support for that important job from various quarters. What means the most to me is the support of ordinary people, who I meet at the green market on the weekend, as well as in the cities that I visit for work."
Serbia has some chapters ready for opening, above all Chapter 31. Do you expect that some of them may soon be opened?
"The question of opening the chapters is far less important than closing the chapters, which is what we should really be focusing on. We have some great proposals from the civil society regarding a phased integration that we've been talking about with our European partners for some time now. Such an approach would mean opening all the chapters and, by so doing, intensifying the negotiations, whose aim is, to put it plainly, bringing order into different spheres of life, which our citizens, i.e. our nation, should benefit from above all."
What would that look like in practice?
"The phased accession would mean opening up the possibility of using EU funds which would significantly exceed the large amounts that the EU is already directly contributing to Serbia's budget. As regards Chapter 31, which concerns the foreign and security policy, we have seen announcements in recent weeks that this issue will be given priority, among other things by aligning the visa regime with the EU, which is certainly commendable. Then there's the issue of imposing sanctions on Russia, regarding which a clear answer of our country to our European friends has been too long in the waiting."
You mention the sanctions against Russia. If Serbia were to join the entire package of these European Union sanctions against Russia, would that really affect the European integration dynamic?
"The EU integration process is primarily political, with two sides negotiating. These negotiations can be more or less successful. If we consider the history of European integration, especially of the countries in our region, we can see that many of them have managed to secure very good positions for themselves. Perhaps the entire package of sanctions against Russia isn't an option for Serbia at the moment, but, bearing in mind that Russia voted in favour of the sanctions against Serbia in the UN Security Council and that it left Kosovo in 2003 and thus made the 2004 pogrom possible, perhaps we should consider joining the EU restrictive measures in a phased manner, given that the future of Serbia certainly lies in the European family."
What can President Macron's "European Community" bring to Serbia? Isn't that an EU waiting room?
"The proposal of President Macron is a great opportunity for Serbia, which gives our country an equal place at the table with all the European partners in discussions regarding the most important questions of a common future. No country is an isolated island today, and the political community that Macron proposes means acknowledging this reality and creating a practical mechanism to meet the challenges lying ahead. When talks are being held regarding the energy stability of the whole continent, I'm sure that you will agree that we have to sit at that table, so disparaging this important initiative of the French president, which has received support of all the European institutions, is improper."
As a small European Union member state, Croatia has succeeded in stopping the Russian oil for Serbia, although this has been delayed for now. Does that indicate an indecisiveness on the part of the biggest and most important EU member states, or is something else the case?
"This indicates one and one thing only – that Serbia should deploy all its resources to join the EU as soon as possible in order to have the option of affecting the decision-making processes. This brings us back to the negotiation skills, because a space has been left after the Prague summit to reach an agreement with Croatia about the oil issue. Serbia is in a good diplomatic position owing to its exceptionally good relations with many EU member states. It is now time for excellent relations with Croatia as well. Let me quote His Holiness Patriarch Irinej, God rest his soul: "No one is closer to us, the Serbs, than the Croats."
EuroPride managed to be held in Belgrade. Given all the events that surrounded it, can this be interpreted as a defeat or a success of the LGBT community? And what has the government shown overall?
"EuroPride isn't either a defeat or a success; rather, it is part of the broader processes which bring the problems that the LGBT community faces into the focus of the decision-makers. If we consider the rest of Central and Eastern Europe, these processes – often turbulent – were marked by rises and falls and divisions along the political spectrum, as well as within the LGBT community itself. All that was fine and has eventually brought about significant improvements in the quality of life of the people who are our relatives, neighbours, friends, and colleagues. It is in this sense that Slovenia, which is a great friend to Serbia, ought to be congratulated and looked up to by Serbia in many respects. As for the response of the state, as a lawyer, I consider the Constitutional Court as part of the state as well, and this court declared each previous banning of the Pride Parade – in 2010, 2011, and 2012 – as unconstitutional, pointing out the need to enable the exercise of the right to freedom of assembly. In this sense, great improvements have been made in the last 10 years."
Boško Vukčević