Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate entitled Observation of the early parliamentary elections in Serbia at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 22 January 2024.

The UK welcomes the 22 January debate in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on observation of Parliamentary elections in Serbia in December 2023. The UK contributed a strong contingent to the combined international monitoring mission, alongside support for local election observation. The UK shares concerns over election irregularities and welcomes President Vucic's pledge to implement the recommendations set out in the final OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) report. The UK stands ready to support Serbia in this important work and urges meaningful progress before elections this spring.