The Heinrich Böll Foundation would like to firmly reject false accusations made by the Prime-Minister of Serbia. Our Belgrade office has been registered in Serbia for over 20 years aiming to advance democratization, environmental protection and climate policies in line with Serbia's bid to join the European Union. We believe that our partnerships with Serbian civil society contribute positively to Serbia's European path and are hence in Serbia's declared self-interest.
We do not finance protests, but work with our partners on awareness and programs in the public interest; by providing expertise and supporting the integration of Serbian specialists into EU and international networks. We do so in full respect of Serbian laws and regulations and with full transparency. As recently conducted research shows; awareness for environmental topics is raising across the sociodemographic spectrum in Serbia. This is a positive opportunity for Serbia, especially with regard to the recent opening of Cluster 4 in the EU accession negotiations.
Naturally, environmental topics are political, since they imply distributional effects and choices. Contrary to prior statements by the PM and other members of the government, political deliberation and expression is not only reserved for the government. It can be freely exercised by Serbian citizens and civil society in their freedom to assembly and association. Serbia as a member of the Council of Europe, a signatory of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and candidate for EU membership, has committed itself to protect these rights.
We would like to express full support to the common statement of the US, UK and German embassies in Belgrade, reiterate our great surprise at the false and absurd accusations directed at us, as well as reaffirm our willingness and commitment to continue our work as part of the Serbian-German cooperation and friendship.
Ellen Überschär
Co-President
Heinrich Böll Stiftung