Press release: 145 MEPs, including Group leaderships, call on Serbia to facilitate a safe EuroPride 2022 as scheduled and ensure police protection throughout
Brussels, 31 August 2022
On 27 August, the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vučić, said in a press conference that EuroPride would be cancelled or postponed.[1] This promptly generated international criticism regretting the decision or calling on a solution to allow the event to take place.[2]
On 31 August, a joint letter was addressed by 145 Members of the European Parliament’s LGBTI Intergroup to the Serbian President and Prime-Minister urging for 1) EuroPride to be facilitated as scheduled, 2) sufficient protection to be deployed by the government and 3) the Serbian leadership to engage with the EU Delegation in Serbia and the organisers to find a solution.[3]
Terry Reintke MEP (Greens-EFA), Co-Chair of the LGBTI Intergroup, comments:
The comments by the Serbian President reflect that despite a long process of cooperation and engagement with EuroPride organisers, fear topples acceptance. We are convinced that despite potential counter protests this will be a peaceful event. The government’s role is to provide enough protection to the organisers and attendees and ensure that EuroPride can take place without violence. This march will be a sign of hope for people all over Europe. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the organisers.
Marc Angel MEP (S&D Group), Co-Chair of the LGBTI Intergroup, concludes:
EuroPride taking place in Belgrade can be a game changer, for it will be the very first time that such a significant pan-European event is hosted in any Southeast European state. The Prime-Minister promised the full support to the organisers during the bidding process – we therefore simply call on that promise to be fulfilled. Ensuring that EuroPride can happen without obstacles is an obligation under the European Convention on Human Rights. Together with MEPs from all over Europe, we called on that obligation to be respected.
Press contacts:
Office of Terry Reintke MEP – Katrin Matthaei (Katrin.Matthaei@europarl.europa.eu)
Office of Marc Angel MEP – Daniel Constantinides (Daniel.Constantinides@europarl.europa.eu)
[1] Euronews (28 August 2022), “Serbian president wants to cancel Europe’s biggest Pride event, sparking criticism”, accessible at https://www.euronews.com/2022/08/27/serbian-president-wants-to-cancel-europes-biggest-pride-event-sparking-criticism.
[2] EU Delegation in Serbia’s “Statement on EuroPride”: https://europa.rs/statement-on-europride/?lang=en; Luxembourgish Minister of Foreign and European Affairs: https://twitter.com/mfa_lu/status/1564205960201216000?s=24&t=CZd1sIdGmPJLKR-lkB0P8A; Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs: https://twitter.com/norwaymfa/status/1563922789177991168?s=21&t=E5mEp90V_hrbQZywx-pvzQ; Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs, https://twitter.com/annlinde/status/1563888963986890752?s=21&t=E5mEp90V_hrbQZywx-pvzQ; ; Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, https://twitter.com/JeppeKofod/status/1564250422499475465?s=20&t=3P1V6_slW9KG-u1GiMEV2g; Czech Minister for Foreign Affairs, https://twitter.com/JanLipavsky/status/1564280111293145089?s=20&t=3P1V6_slW9KG-u1GiMEV2g.
[3] LGBTI Intergroup (31 August 2022), “145 MEPs sign letter to Serbian leadership calling to maintain the organisation of EuroPride 2022 and deploying sufficient police protection”, accessible at https://lgbti-ep.eu/2022/08/31/140-meps-sign-letter-to-serbian-leadership-calling-to-maintain-the-organisation-of-europride-2022-and-deploying-sufficient-police-protection/.
