Press release - Serbia and enlargement: MEPs expect real commitment to EU values

Serbia and enlargement: MEPs expect real commitment to EU values
- Progress towards EU membership only possible with rule of law reforms and stronger democratic standards
- Serbia needs free and fair elections to resolve its political crisis
- MEPs denounce long-standing manipulative anti-EU narrative spread by government controlled media
- Concerns over Serbia’s close ties with Russia and China
Serbia’s government continues to say EU membership is its strategic goal, but MEPs warn that this is often not reflected in its actions.
Progress towards EU membership entails not only adopting reforms, but also implementing them thoroughly and fully, warn MEPs in a report on Serbia adopted on Wednesday by 468 votes in favour, 116 against and with 79 abstentions. There is a persistent gap between Serbia’s legislative alignment with EU rules and its actual implementation of reforms that is continuing to undermine the country’s progress, says the report.
MEPs also stress that each country’s path towards EU integration must be assessed on its own merits and that no country should be linked to another or treated as part of a package.
Respect for effective democratic mechanisms
MEPs argue that Serbia’s EU accession negotiations should only advance when there has been measurable and sustainable progress in areas such as the rule of law, free and fair elections, the fight against corruption and organised crime, judicial independence, media freedom, public administration reform, and the improved functioning of democratic institutions. Concerned about its “appeasing approach” towards Serbia, MEPs want the Commission to reflect any significant regression in the pace and intensity of reforms in Serbia in the financial support the EU provides under its pre-accession funding instruments. They also note that normalising relations with Kosovo is a condition for support under the reform and growth plan.
Ties with Russia and China
MEPs deplore Serbia’s close ties with Russia and its deepening security and defence cooperation with China, which raise concerns about the country’s strategic orientation. They stress that full alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy remains a non-negotiable requirement for accession, including alignment with the EU’s restrictive measures against Russia.
Deepening polticial crisis
MEPs point to the low level of public support for EU membership in Serbia, driven by a long standing, manipulative, anti-EU narrative spread by government-controlled media, as well as by some senior Serbian officials and members of the governing party, including at the highest level. They call on the EU to enhance cooperation with Serbian non-governmental organisations to strengthen democratic resilience and counter hybrid threats. Expressing concern over the deepening political crisis in Serbia against the backdrop of the mass protests taking place across the country since November 2024, MEPs say that the best way to resolve the crisis is to hold genuinely free and fair elections.
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Rapporteur Tonino Picula (S&D, Croatia) said: “My report concludes that Serbia’s EU accession process has effectively stalled, due to democratic backsliding, weakened rule of law, failure to implement key reforms and lack of alignment with EU foreign policy. Despite continually reaffirming its strategic commitment, Serbia’s political leadership has so far demonstrated limited political will to undertake reforms or to align with the values and policies required for accession.”
Contacts:
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Snježana KOBEŠĆAK SMODIŠ
Press Officer (HR)