"I have taken note with regret of the Serbian authorities' decision to ban the Belgrade 2012 Pride Parade, for the second year in a row, on security grounds," Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele said in a statement read by his spokesman Peter Stano at a news conference.
"I strongly condemn the intimidation and threats from extremist organisations in Serbia directed against the organisers of the Parade and regret that those threats have been assessed serious enough to justify a ban on security grounds. I expect the Serbian authorities to investigate such threats and bring the perpetrators to justice," said Fuele.
He said the Commission "is strongly attached to the values enshrined in the EU Treaties and Fundamental Rights Charter, especially when it comes to respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of assembly and freedom of expression and non-discrimination on the basis of gender, racial or ethnic origins, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability and age."
"The Commission will continue to support and encourage measures towards further building a climate conducive to the full implementation of human rights standards in candidate and potential candidate countries, including open and constructive debates about the recognition and protection of the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, as well as minorities in general," Fuele said.
The head of the European Union Delegation to Serbia, Vincent Degert, said the holding of the Pride Parade was not a requirement for Serbia's European integration but that Europe was concerned that it was cancelled for security reasons for the second consecutive year.
The Council of Europe office in Belgrade blamed the Serbian authorities for not doing enough. We feel the authorities haven't done enough to support the holding of this year's Parade, Antje Rothemund told reporters.
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe Mission to Serbia pointed to the state's obligation to protect constitutional rights, saying in a statement that "state authorities have a direct responsibility to protect the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression, as well as to protect citizens against discrimination of any kind."
The European Parliament's rapporteur on Serbia, Jelko Kacin, called the Pride Parade ban a political decision which brought into question the equality of citizens and the rule of law.
The Interior Ministry banned the parade scheduled for Saturday citing security reasons.
"It's better if they criticise me for banning the Parade than for the loss of even one human life," Prime Minister and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said earlier commenting on claims that the state had been defeated by threats of violence.