Following the announcement of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić that the Serbian government wants to ban this year’s international EuroPride event in Belgrade, allegedly because of various internal and external “pressures” on the country, MEPs Terry Reintke and Viola von Cramon met with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić this week to discuss the situation.
Terry Reintke MEP, Vice-President of the Greens/EFA Group and Vice-President of the European Parliament LGBTI-Intergroup, said, “This Pride is not only crucial for the community in Serbia. People from all over Europe will join to stand up for human rights and celebrate diversity and freedom. We made clear that the Serbian government has to do everything to protect freedom of assembly – also for minorities.”
Viola von Cramon MEP, shadow rapporteur for Serbia of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, said, “After many years with successful, peaceful Prides in Belgrade, it should be possible to organize this year’s march. All of Europe will be watching and we still trust that the Serbian authorities can facilitate a peaceful pride parade. “Our meeting yesterday with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić was very cooperative. The prime minister promised to try to find a solution with the Serbian LGBT+ community that will hopefully satisfy all parties.”
The EuroPride is a week-long event that promotes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex pride at the pan-European level and is hosted by a different European city each year. Serbia and Belgrade Pride will host the 2022 EuroPride that is scheduled to be held from the 12th to the 18th of September. Both Belgrade Pride and European Pride Organizers Association (EPOA) have said that they are still planning for the 2022 EuroPride to go forward and have not received any official notice to cancel the event, and if they were to they will challenge that decision in court.
