Serbian leaders condemn Croatian MEP Tonino Picula for remarks on President Vučić

Tonino Picula, a Croatian member of the European Parliament and the EP’s reporter on Serbia, has been repeatedly targeted by Serbia’s top officials. President Aleksandar Vučić and parliamentary speaker Ana Brnabić have called him “the fiercest political enemy” of Serbia, accusing him of harassing Belgrade, criticising Vučić’s policies, police violence and democratic freedoms, and of fostering a hostile narrative.

In a separate reaction, Serbian MP Milenko Jovanov sharply rebuked Picula after the MEP suggested in a Croatian podcast that “Vučić is campaigning for prime minister even though elections are not scheduled.” Jovanov compared the claim to a previous episode involving former Croatian president Zoran Milanović, who ran for prime minister while remaining president, and demanded Picula be reminded of that precedent.