Skip to content
DRAFT REPORT (2025/2022(INI))

On the 2023 and 2024 Commission reports on Serbia

AFET-PR-767969

Committee on Foreign Affairs · Rapporteur: Tonino Picula

Official HTML ↗ PDF DOCX
✦ In shortFull text
✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 4 Sept 2026

Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

This draft report responds to the 2023 and 2024 Commission reports on Serbia, covering its EU accession process, rule of law, democracy, human rights, regional relations, and socio-economic reforms. It notes limited progress in accession negotiations, calls for alignment with EU foreign policy including sanctions on Russia, and stresses the need for reforms in judiciary, anti-corruption, and electoral framework. It condemns attacks on protesters and allegations against EU member states, urges media transparency, and supports the EU-facilitated dialogue with Kosovo.

Committee position. The rapporteur proposes a resolution that notes Serbia's EU commitment but expresses concern over lack of progress in reforms and alignment, and calls for concrete actions on rule of law, dialogue with Kosovo, and media freedom.

Key points

  1. Notes Serbia's commitment to EU membership but stresses the need to demonstrate strategic orientation and communicate objectively on the EU.
  2. Regrets limited progress in meeting benchmarks, especially in rule of law, public administration reform, and alignment with EU policies, and no progress on Chapter 31.
  3. Calls on Serbia to align with EU restrictive measures and policy towards Russia, and to fully align with EU visa policy.
  4. Notes challenges in judicial independence and stresses the importance of adopting the Law on the Judicial Academy.
  5. Expresses concern about corruption despite the new anti-corruption strategy, and welcomes the more pluralistic parliament but notes election-related delays.
  6. Considers it essential to reform the electoral framework and implement OSCE/ODIHR and Council of Europe recommendations ahead of any new elections.
  7. Condemns violent attacks on peaceful protesters and the Serbian authorities' allegations of EU involvement in protests, and urges monitoring of legal cases.
  8. Urges increased transparency of media ownership and financing, and calls for investigation of hate speech and smear campaigns against journalists.
  9. Calls on Serbia to fight disinformation, including state-sponsored campaigns, and condemns the opening of an RT office in Belgrade.
  10. Urges Serbia to step up reconciliation efforts, support the EU-facilitated dialogue, and implement all past agreements, including the Association of Serb-majority municipalities.
  11. Expects Kosovo and Serbia to cooperate in bringing to justice perpetrators of the 2023 Banjska attack, and calls for a more proactive EU role in the dialogue.
  12. Welcomes partial progress on market economy and the Reform Agenda, and calls for EU funding to be redirected to judiciary reforms and anti-corruption.

Who is affected

  • Serbia's government and National Assembly: must align with EU policies, implement reforms, and engage constructively in dialogue.
  • Journalists and media in Serbia: benefit from calls for transparency and protection from hate speech and lawsuits.
  • Civil society organisations in Serbia: should be able to operate freely and participate in policymaking.
  • EU institutions and member states: urged to monitor legal cases related to protests and take a more proactive role in the dialogue.

Figures and deadlines

  • 15 victims died after the collapse of the Novi Sad train station canopy on 1 November 2024.