Europe Day: Serbia Belongs to Europe When It Builds Free, Accountable and Democratic Institutions

The Regional Academy for Democratic Development congratulates the citizens of Serbia on Europe Day.

This day reminds us that modern Europe did not emerge only as a political project, but as a historical response to war, authoritarianism, hatred and destruction. That is why the European idea has never been only a matter of institutions and procedures, but also a matter of building a society in which human dignity, freedom, equality, peace and the right of every citizen to live without fear are protected.

For Serbia, Europe Day must be more than a symbolic date. It is a reminder that the European path cannot be reduced to the formal harmonisation of legislation, negotiation chapters and diplomatic messages. Genuine European integration means building a state in which institutions work in the public interest, laws apply equally to everyone, the public has the right to take part in decision-making, the media operate freely, and citizens are not treated as an obstacle, but as the bearers of a democratic society.

Serbia belongs to the European space not only geographically, but also through its best democratic, civic and anti-fascist tradition. That is precisely why it is important for European values to become the measure of institutional conduct, political accountability and the attitude towards citizens.

Europe Day is therefore also a day of responsibility: a day to clearly state that Serbia can and must be an orderly, democratic and free society. This is a path that requires consistency, courage and the restoration of trust in institutions, but it is the only path that leads Serbia to where it belongs — into a community of democratic, solidary and accountable European societies.