Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) democratic and (b) civil society rights in Serbia.

The UK strongly supports the democratic rights of the people of Serbia. We share the concerns of international observers regarding the conduct of December's elections in Serbia. This includes media bias, pressure on public sector employees and misuse of public resources. Serbia should investigate swiftly and act effectively to address these issues. We encourage Serbia, as we do all Western Balkans countries, to work more closely with civil society organisations to strengthen democracy and rule of law. We were proud to support local election observers in December's elections, alongside our continuing efforts to develop the capacity of grass-root organisations.