The delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia participated in the session of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), held on 26 and 27 May 2025 in Crete, Greece. The delegation consisted of Biljana Pantic Pilja, Head of the Delegation, Dunja Simonovic Bratic, Aleksandar Mirkovic and Elvira Kovacs.
During the two-day session, the Committee members discussed a number of current issues of importance for the work of the Parliamentary Assembly and the wider European political context. Topics on the agenda included support for political negotiations for the exchange and release of prisoners of war, role of political parties in modern democracies, political consequences of the war in Ukraine, freedom of expression as a foundation of a democratic society, and the challenges of organising elections in times of crisis.
Special attention was also paid to the situation in the Middle East, role of Russian democratic forces in exile, and the possibilities of strengthening cooperation between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the United States Congress.
During the session, the members of the delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia had a series of meetings with representatives of delegations from other countries, with the aim of improving mutual cooperation and exchanging opinions on current political and security topics.
In the context of the debate on border changes and the war between Russia and Ukraine, MP Dunja Simonovic Bratic recalled the NATO aggression against Serbia, or the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, without a decision by the UN Security Council in 1999. She pointed out that problems with Serbia's borders continue 26 years later, and that the whole of Europe is facing similar challenges today. She thanked Ukraine for its decision not to recognize the self-proclaimed state of "Kosovo", recalling that a significant number of countries have withdrawn their recognition in recent years. She expressed hope that this trend will continue in the future.
It is important to point out that the request of so-called "Kosovo" to obtain special guest status was not on the agenda of the Committee session, which indicates the absence of consensus among the members of the Parliamentary Assembly on this issue.
Participation in the session represents a continuation of the Serbian delegation's ongoing engagement in the work of the Council of Europe and a contribution to the dialogue on key political and security issues in Europe.
