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“We live in a fractured world with a widening gap between democracies and autocracies,� von der Leyen said at a joint press conference with Vucic. “And you know very well where the European Union stands.�

Serbia remains the only country in Europe that has not imposed sanctions on Moscow over its war in Ukraine. Though he formally says becoming an EU member is Serbia's strategic goal, and stalled on democratic reforms, a precondition for joining the bloc.

Monthslong rallies by university students and other anti-government protesters, and the government's crackdown, have posed the biggest challenge to Vucic. The protests erupted in response to a that killed 16 people in the northern city of Novi Sad. Many in Serbia believe the disaster was the result of graft-fueled negligence in infrastructure deals with Chinese companies.

Vucic has refused to schedule early parliamentary elections as demanded by protesters. Dozens of people have been detained or have lost jobs for protesting while Serbian riot police have been accused of against the demonstrators.

“We stand for freedom instead of oppression, including the right to peaceful assembly,� von der Leyen said. “We stand for partnership instead of submission. We stand for diplomacy instead of aggression.�

“Now is the moment for Serbia to get concrete about joining our union,� she added, listing reforms in the rule of law, electoral framework and media freedom as key first steps.

“We need to see greater alignment on our foreign policy, including sanctions against Russia," von der Leyen said. "We want to count on Serbia as a reliable partner."

Belgrade has historically close ties to Moscow and depends almost entirely on Russia for energy. The main Serbian oil monopoly NIS is under U.S. sanctions because of its majority Russian ownership.

Vucic predicted a “tough winter" and urged EU support in combating a looming energy crisis. But claiming police used “minimum force� despite widespread reports of violence.

Von der Leyen was in Belgrade as part of a tour of the Western Balkan countries striving to join the EU. Albania, Bosnia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro are in different stages of the accession process.

The EU has stepped up efforts to integrate the Western Balkan nations into its fold since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, fearing Moscow could try to destabilize the region still reeling from the bloody wars in the 1990s. An offers funds and gradual integration into the EU market in return for reforms.