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REPORT (2025/2022(INI))

On the 2023 and 2024 Commission reports on Serbia

A-10-2025-0072

Committee on Foreign Affairs · Rapporteur: Tonino Picula

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This resolution responds to the Commission's 2023 and 2024 reports on Serbia, covering EU accession, rule of law, fundamental rights, regional relations, and socio-economic reforms. It urges Serbia to align with EU foreign policy, especially sanctions on Russia, and to make progress on reforms, while condemning democratic backsliding and disinformation. It calls for improvements in judicial independence, anti-corruption, media freedom, and protection of minorities, and stresses the need for normalisation with Kosovo.

Committee position. The Committee on Foreign Affairs proposes a resolution that criticises Serbia's backsliding on democracy and rule of law, urges alignment with EU foreign policy, and calls for reforms.

Key points

  1. Notes Serbia's commitment to EU membership and urges quick reforms, especially in cluster 1, to make its 2026 alignment goal credible.
  2. Condemns Serbia's attempts to establish a sphere of influence and its non-alignment with EU sanctions on Russia, calling for alignment and reconsideration of EU financial assistance.
  3. Regrets the decline in public support for EU membership and the spread of disinformation, urging Serbia to foster open discussion and combat anti-EU narratives.
  4. Calls for full alignment with EU visa policy and welcomes the Frontex agreement, stressing fundamental rights.
  5. Urges Serbia to ensure judicial independence, adopt the Law on the Judicial Academy, and strengthen anti-corruption efforts, including signing the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention.
  6. Expresses concern over election process deficiencies and calls for implementation of ODIHR recommendations and equal treatment of MPs.
  7. Regrets the REM's failures and calls for a transparent process for awarding national frequencies and electing new members.
  8. Condemns violence against protesters, illegal surveillance, and the draft foreign agents law, urging protection of civil society and journalists.
  9. Calls for protection of national minorities, including education in minority languages, and condemns attempts to undermine minority identities.
  10. Urges Serbia to cooperate on war crimes, missing persons, and reconciliation, and to implement the Brussels and Ohrid Agreements with Kosovo.
  11. Calls for socio-economic reforms, better use of EU funds, and increased investment in border regions to address depopulation.
  12. Urges Serbia to align with EU environmental and climate standards, diversify energy supply, and reduce roaming charges.

Who is affected

  • Serbian authorities and government, which must implement reforms and align with EU policies.
  • Civil society organisations and journalists in Serbia, who face restrictions and need protection.
  • National minorities in Serbia, including Bulgarian, Croatian, Albanian, and Romanian communities.
  • Kosovo and Serbia, which must implement agreements and normalise relations.
  • EU institutions, including the Commission and the European External Action Service, which are urged to take a more proactive role.

Figures and deadlines

  • 59.7% of Serbia's total trade is with the EU.
  • Serbia's CFSP alignment rate dropped from 54% in 2023 to 51% in 2024.
  • Serbia's rate of compliance with EU statements is 61%.
  • Serbia ranks 105th in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2024.
  • Serbia received more than EUR 586 million in assistance under IPA III over the past three years.
  • Missing persons: 1,782 in Croatia, 7,608 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 1,595 in Kosovo.
  • Serbia plans to introduce a carbon tax by 2027.