What changed

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

P10_TA(2026)0261

on the 2025 Commission report on Serbia

(2025/2255(INI))

Committee on Foreign Affairs

PE784.230

European Parliament resolution of 8 July 2026 on the 2025 Commission report on Serbia (2025/2255(INI))

– having regard to the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States of the one part, and the Republic of Serbia, of the other part, which entered into force on 1 September 2013,

B. whereas each candidate country in the enlargement process is evaluated on its own merits in fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria and respect for, and unwavering commitment to, shared European values and rights, protection of minorities and alignment with the EU’s foreign and security policy; whereas there are no shortcuts to EU membership;

C. whereas Serbia needs to make additional efforts to further align its foreign policy with the EU’s foreign and security policy, as certain actions, statements and high-level contacts, including participation by the Serbian President in the 9 May 2025 military parade in Moscow, run counter to key EU foreign policy positions, particularly with regard to Russia;

D. whereas EU-related reforms in Serbia have slowed significantly or have shown backsliding in several key areas, particularly in the fundamentals of the accession process, such as the rule of law, fundamental rights, and media freedom; whereas the Commission has noted continued shortcomings in the functioning of democratic institutions; whereas only 2 of the 35 negotiating chapters have been provisionally closed to date;

H. whereas in line with Chapter 23, Serbia must demonstrate real improvements in the effective exercise of the rights of persons belonging to national minorities; whereas freedom of religion is a core European value and a fundamental human right; whereas Serbia is therefore obliged to respect and guarantee this freedom for all individuals residing within its territory, in accordance with its international commitments and human rights obligations;

I. whereas the social situation in Serbia remains difficult; whereas UNICEF notes that Serbia is among Europe’s less equal countries; whereas 13.613,6 % of the population experienced severe material and social deprivation in 2024, the at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion rate was 27.227,2 % in 2023, and the youth unemployment rate stood at 24.524,5 %; whereas rural populations remain especially vulnerable;

J. whereas the EU remains Serbia’s main trading partner accounting for 58.358,3 % of Serbia’s total trade in 2024, its leading source of investment and its largest provider of financial assistance; whereas the EU by a large margin remains the biggest source of remittances, which are sent by Serbians working in the EU, and are a crucial and stable source of income for many Serbian households, playing a substantial role in the country’s economy;

Commitment to EU accession

8. Is deeply concerned about the investments in Serbia by Russia and China and their growing influence on political and economic processes in the region; condemns the high-level visit to Belgrade in March 2026 by the Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, who is on the EU sanctions list; calls for the immediate closure of the so-called Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center in Niš, which acts as a base for the Russian military intelligence agency GRU to operate from a candidate country, and urges Serbia to terminate all military cooperation with Russia, as it raises legitimate questions about Serbia’s strategic orientation and alignment with EU security interests; condemns Russian foreign interference activities in Serbia; recalls that Serbia is actively used as a regional platform to spread disinformation and misinformation campaigns across the Western Balkans region;

9. Expresses concern over Serbia’s ongoing military build-up, combined with the increasingly hostile rhetoric towards neighbouring countries and the deepening of Serbia’s security and defence cooperation with China, including special forces exercises and the expansion of strategic agreements, as well as the growing presence of Chinese security and surveillance technology; strongly condemns Serbia’s recent acquisition of Chinese CM-400AKG air-to-surface ballistic missiles; warns that this military build-up alters the regional security balance and undermines regional stability and good neighbourly relations with surrounding NATO member states; stresses that such procurement contradicts the EU’s CFSP and raises serious questions about Serbia’s geopolitical orientation; underlines that major defence procurements from authoritarian strategic competitors of the EU require full transparency and careful assessment of their implications for regional stability, interoperability and Serbia’s declared European orientation; notes with concern the recent memorandum of cooperation between the Serbian governing party and the Chinese Communist Party, which raises further questions regarding Serbia’s strategic commitment to pursuing its EU path;

10. Condemns the fact that Serbia has become a base for Russian intelligence services to carry out sabotage activities in Europe; expresses serious concern over credible reports indicating that Serbia has emerged as a key operational hub for Russian hybrid and destabilisation activities in Europe; notes, in particular, documented cases in which individuals recruited and financed by actors linked to Russian intelligence carried out coordinated provocations and acts aimed at inciting ethnic and religious tensions within EU Member States; further notes reports of organised networks operating from Serbian territory, including in the training and deployment of individuals for destabilising actions in other European countries and in the EU’s neighbourhood; calls on the Serbian authorities to take immediate and effective measures to investigate, prevent and prosecute such activities;

44. Remains deeply alarmed by reports of Amnesty International and the SHARE Foundation, among others, indicating that Serbian authorities have used illegal spyware such as Pegasus to surveil activists, journalists, civil society members and citizens, and is deeply concerned by the absence of adequate institutional or independent oversight responses to cases of spyware use; calls on the Government of Serbia to immediately end such practices, thoroughly investigate all cases, and hold those responsible to account; urges the Commission to follow up on these incidents and press the Serbian authorities to ensure a full and independent investigation; strongly condemns the unacceptable statements of 4 April 2026 by the Minister of Information and Telecommunications of Serbia concerning police violence against citizens; expresses deep concern over the use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) against investigative journalists and civil society activists;

45. Expresses deep concern over credible allegations regarding the use of an acoustic weapon against peaceful protesters; notes the absence of a prompt and transparent investigation into the incident; recalls the Council of Europe’s interim measure of April 2025 concerning the protection of demonstrators and stresses that failure to investigate such allegations may constitute a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights; calls on the Serbian authorities to conduct an immediate, impartial investigation and to ensure accountability; notes that Serbia is purchasing Chinese hardware and software at reduced prices in order to step up surveillance of its citizens, notably with the deployment of extensive video-surveillance systems and advanced facial recognition in public spaces through cooperation with Huawei under the ‘Safe City’ project implemented in Belgrade; expresses serious concern over reports that Serbian authorities have used EU pre-accession funds to procure biometric and forensic software from Papilon, a Russian company subject to EU sanctions; calls on the Commission to ensure full compliance with EU restrictive measures in all EU-funded programmes; deplores the Serbian authorities’ campaign of intimidation against peaceful students, journalists and activists, which relies on a controversial report by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) to falsely accuse protesters of using a sound cannon during the Slavija Square protest in Belgrade on 15 March 2025; underlines that weaponising fear to suppress civil dissent is entirely unacceptable and incompatible with EU fundamental values; strongly condemns the latest attacks by highest-ranking Serbian officials against Members of the European Parliament, including false accusations that they have spread lies and misinformation concerning the protest;

46. Expresses deep concern over the intensification of verbal attacks, smear campaigns and pressure against civil society organisations advocating for the rule of law; expresses further concern that civil society organisations in Serbia face increasing challenges, including restrictive conditions, funding constraints, police raids and other forms of intimidation by state authorities; underlines the importance of a framework that enables local, vibrant civil society organisations to participate in policymaking, including EU integration processes, in an inclusive and meaningful manner; calls on the authorities to ensure a safe environment for civil society to operate freely, and to refrain from any actions that undermine their independence and work; condemns the deterioration of working conditions for journalists and the media; urges Serbia to reverse its backsliding on freedom of expression; notes with concern that in 2025 Serbia reached its lowest-ever score on the World Press Freedom Index, ranking 96th out of 180 countries, placing it second-to-last in Europe;

54. Reiterates that Serbia must ensure the consistent and effective implementation of the legislative and institutional frameworks for the protection of fundamental rights, in particular as regards policies addressing violence against women, deinstitutionalisation and violence against children; expresses concern about the persistently high rate of gender-based violence in Serbia, including its digital dimension, and calls on the Serbian authorities to ensure a response with adequate action plans, funding and implementation mechanisms;

55. Calls on Serbia to ensure respect for the rights of all national minorities in practice and to show sincere commitment in resolving outstanding issues, including access to education, information, dedicated media space, funding, facilities and religious services in minority languages, as well as full representation at all levels of government, in line with the principle of reciprocity, whenever possible, and with all relevant European standards; regrets the fact that since 2025, there has been no representation of national minorities at the ministerial level, particularly covering the human and minority rights portfolio; highlights that, while Serbia’s legal and policy framework regarding the protection of national minorities is broadly in place, significant shortcomings persist in its effective and consistent implementation; notes the considerable delay in drafting a new action plan for the realisation of national minority rightsrights, which was finally adopted on 28 May 2026, and stresses the urgent need for Serbia to finalise and implement it promptly; calls for further concrete measures, including clear timelines, adequate resources and robust monitoring mechanisms; calls for the full implementation of anti-discrimination legislation and for the stepping up of efforts to ensure the non-discriminatory treatment of all national and other minorities; calls for effective investigations and convictions for hate-motivated crimes; strongly condemns attacks, intimidation, targeting and harassment of minority communities, including Slovaks, Romanians, Bulgarians and Croatians, and the use of ethnic slurs by pro-government media; stresses that measurable and verifiable progress in minority protection should be treated as part of the fundamentals cluster, with clear benchmarks and monitoring;

56. Highlights that access to education in minority languages remains limited in practice and must be guaranteed at all levels without delay or administrative obstacles, in line with fundamental minority rights; calls on Serbia to protect and promote the cultural heritage and traditions of its national minorities, in particular to create a positive atmosphere for education in minority languages, and deplores the violation of minority rights in this area; emphasises the need to fully provide sufficient teachers, textbooks and materials; calls on Serbia to refrain from exploiting national identities and strongly condemns recorded cases of hate speech against some of them;

102. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the President of the European Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and to have this resolution translated into Serbian and forward it to the President, Government and National Assembly of Serbia.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

This draft report provides Parliament’s response to the 2025 Commission report on Serbia. It reflects the events of the past year as well as more recent ones, including the Committee on Foreign Affairs’ mission to Serbia from 22 to 24 January 2026.

Serbia has been an EU candidate country since 2012. Since accession negotiations with Serbia began in January 2014, 22 out of 35 chapters have been opened. Serbia accepted the revised enlargement methodology in June 2021, but has made no progress on opening new clusters since December 2021.

In recent years, Serbia’s progress towards EU accession has stalled, with concerns predominantly focused on the state of democracy and the rule of law. There are many urgent issues to resolve, particularly heightened political polarisation and tensions, the need for structural reforms addressing the rule of law, anti-corruption and other EU-related matters, and the necessity of reaching a comprehensive normalisation agreement with Kosovo, while achieving full alignment with EU foreign policy.

The draft report also addresses important issues regarding the independence of key institutions and stresses the need to implement all outstanding commitments, including recommendations on key aspects of the electoral process, in an inclusive and transparent manner.

ANNEX: DECLARATION OF INPUT

The rapporteur declares under his exclusive responsibility that he did not include in his report input from interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register, or from representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies, to be listed in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.

INFORMATION ON ADOPTION BY THE COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

Date adopted

3.6.2026

Result of final vote

+:

–:

0:

51

14

10

FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL BY THE COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

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