Delegation of the European Integration Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia took part in the 75the plenary meeting of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC), held on 16 March 2026.
The delegation included the Chairperson of the European Integration Committee Elvira Kovacs and Committee members Zivota Starcevic and Milan Radin. For security reasons, the host, the Parliament of the Republic of Cypress, decided to hold the meeting via video link. The meeting was opened by Harris Georgiades, Chairman of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives and Annita Demetriou, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cypress. Dr Nicholas A. Ioannides, Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection of the Republic of Cypress had a keynote address on the implementation of the priorities of the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The Chairperson of the European Integration Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Elvira Kovacs spoke at the first panel - "Ukraine and European security". "The war in Ukraine is one of the most serious challenges to European security in recent decades. It reminds us how important peace, stability and respect are for international law," said Elvira Kovacs.
The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia recalled that the Republic of Serbia firmly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. Serbia voted for all key UN resolutions confirming the territorial integrity of Ukraine and does not recognize any of the referendums held in the occupied Ukrainian territories.
Elvira Kovacs informed the participants that Serbia is sending humanitarian aid to Ukraine, which accounts for 93% of the total humanitarian aid from the Western Balkans region. She specified that this assistance includes hard-to-find equipment for the Ukrainian energy system, the organization of a sports camp in Serbia for Ukrainian children, ambulances, donations of basic necessities, as well as several donations both bilaterally and through the United Nations system.
"The European Union is, above all, a peace project. That is why it is important at this moment to continue strengthening European institutions, dialogue and cooperation. Long-term security in Europe cannot be built solely on confrontation, but also on diplomatic efforts, building trust and a joint search for sustainable peace," concluded Elvira Kovacs.
At the third panel -"The EU and the Crisis in the Middle East", the participants were addressed by Zivota Starcevic, member of the European Integration Committee.
Zivota Starcevic said that if there is no consistency in policy, if international law is treated as a recommendation, not an obligation, and if only the interests of the three biggest powers prevail — then we are inevitably facing "Epic Fury."
Starcevic reminded that this crisis did not arise overnight and that it began in 1999, with the ironically named Operation "Merciful Angel", and added that the path from "Merciful Angel" to "Epic Fury" is frighteningly short.
Starcevic also recalled that, according to information from American intelligence services, elite Iranian forces trained and armed forces in Bosnia and Kosovo-Metohija, and that these forces were supported despite the crimes committed. As he said, our inconsistencies from the past have become our threats in the present, and the consequences are clear: an increasing number of war hotspots; a latent energy and economic crisis; a migrant crisis and stagnation of living standards in Europe.
"The European Union must return to its roots and fundamental principles. We need peace more than ever. It is time for the European Union to take a leading role again — not in conflicts, but in economic, cultural and democratic development," concluded Zivota Starcevic at the end of his speech.
