On the 2025 Commission report on Serbia

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

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,

– having regard to Serbia’s application for membership of the EU of 19 December 2009,

– having regard to the Commission opinion of 12 October 2011 on Serbia’s application for membership of the European Union (COM(2011)0668), the European Council’s decision of 1 March 2012 to grant Serbia candidate status and the European Council’s decision of 28 June 2013 to open EU accession negotiations with Serbia,

– having regard to the Brussels Agreement of 27 February 2023 and the Ohrid Agreement of 18 March 2023, and to the implementation annex thereto,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1529 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 September 2021 establishing the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III),

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2024/1449 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 on establishing the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans,

– having regard to the presidency conclusions of the Thessaloniki European Council meeting of 19 and 20 June 2003,

– having regard to the Western Balkans Leaders’ meeting of 1 July 2025 in Skopje, North Macedonia, on the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans,

– having regard to the declaration of the EU-Western Balkans summit of 17 December 2025,

– having regard to the Presidency conclusions of 16 December 2025 on enlargement,

– having regard to the Berlin Process, launched on 28 August 2014,

– having regard to the Chair’s conclusions of the 2025 Summit of the Berlin Process of 22 October 2025,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 6 October 2020 entitled ‘An Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans’ (COM(2020)0641),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 8 November 2023 entitled ‘New growth plan for the Western Balkans’ (COM(2023)0691),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 8 July 2025 entitled ‘2025 Rule of Law Report – The rule of law situation in the European Union’ (COM(2025)0900), accompanied by the Commission staff working document entitled ‘2025 Rule of Law Report – Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Serbia’ (SWD(2025)0931),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 4 November 2025 entitled ‘2025 Communication on EU enlargement policy’ (COM(2025)0690), accompanied by the Commission staff working document entitled ‘Serbia 2025 Report’ (SWD(2025)0755),

–– having regard to the first agreement on principles governing the normalisation of relations between the governments of Serbia and Kosovo of 19 April 2013, to the agreements of 25 August 2015, and to the ongoing EU-facilitated dialogue for the normalisation of relations,

– having regard to the final report of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) election observation mission on the early parliamentary and presidential elections of 3 April 2022 in Serbia, published on 19 August 2022,

– having regard to the final report of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission on the early parliamentary elections of 17 December 2023 in Serbia, published on 28 February 2024,

– having regard to the European Council conclusions of December 2006, to the Council conclusions of March 2020 and to the Conclusions of the Presidency of the European Council in Copenhagen of 21-22 June 1993, also known as the Copenhagen criteria,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Serbia, in particular that of 22 October 2025 on the polarisation and increased repression in Serbia, one year after the Novi Sad tragedy,

– having regard to the mission of its Committee on Foreign Affairs to Serbia from 22 to 24 January 2026,

– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (A10-0000/2026),

A. whereas enlargement is a key EU foreign policy tool and a strategic geopolitical investment in long-term peace, security and prosperity;

B. whereas each candidate country in the enlargement process is evaluated on its own merits in fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria;

C. 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 and media freedom;

D. whereas in recent years, political rights and civil liberties have been steadily eroded in Serbia, putting pressure on independent media, academia, the political opposition and civil society organisations;

E. whereas the EU remains Serbia’s main trading partner, leading source of investment and largest donor;

Commitment to EU accession

1. Emphasises that progress on the path towards EU accession – a genuinely merit-based process – is conditional on full respect for EU values and adherence to democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, all of which are enshrined in the Copenhagen criteria; emphasises that this entails not only adopting reforms, but also implementing them thoroughly and fully;

2. Recalls Serbia’s stated commitment that EU membership is its strategic goal, but notes that stated commitments are not often mirrored in practice, as highlighted when Serbia’s highest representatives did not attend the EU-Western Balkans Summit in December 2025;

3. Reiterates the need for Serbia to clearly and consistently demonstrate its geopolitical orientation towards the EU, including by fully aligning with the EU’s common foreign and security policy, in particular the restrictive measures taken by the EU in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine;

4. Regrets the fact that Serbia has made limited or no progress in meeting the benchmarks for EU membership across many other negotiating chapters; reiterates that EU accession negotiations with Serbia should only advance on the basis of measurable and sustainable progress in the fundamentals cluster, particularly on the rule of law, the fight against corruption and organised crime, judicial independence, media freedom and public administration reform;

5. Reiterates its call on Serbia to make credible progress and increase efforts to address foreign information manipulation and interference, including disinformation and anti-EU rhetoric;

6. Firmly rejects all allegations by Serbian officials that the EU and some of its Member States were involved in organising the student protests, since November 2024, to trigger a ‘colour revolution’; reiterates its strong condemnation of the unlawful arrest and expulsion of EU citizens who made statements in support of the protesting students;

7. Condemns the unacceptable behaviour, insults and negative rhetoric directed at Members of the European Parliament and other political actors, including members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs’ mission to Serbia in January 2026;

Democracy and the rule of law

8. Expresses concern over the deepening political crisis in Serbia against the backdrop of the mass protests that have been taking place across Serbia since November 2024 and that reflect the Serbian people’s reaction to systemic corruption and the perceived lack of accountability and transparency in the country;

9. Notes that investigations linked to the collapse of the canopy of Novi Sad railway station are still ongoing and are not yet complete; calls once again for full transparency, accountability and judicial independence in the proceedings;

10. Believes that the best way to resolve the political crisis in Serbia is to conduct free and fair elections; calls for all ODIHR recommendations to be implemented fully, in a transparent and inclusive manner;

11. Reiterates its calls for the thorough implementation of the law on the unified voter register, including with respect to meeting legal deadlines and the cooperation of state institutions in the audit of the register;

12. Expresses serious concern over the amendments adopted by the National Assembly on 28 January 2026 to modify key judicial laws; emphasises that this represents a serious step backwards on Serbia’s path towards EU accession, as it further weakens judicial independence and prosecutorial autonomy; urges the Serbian authorities to halt the implementation of the amendments and calls for their urgent revision;

Fundamental freedoms and human rights

13. Reiterates its support for the right of all of Serbia’s people, including students, to protest peacefully in order to call for accountability and democratic reforms directly linked to the rule of law;

14. Denounces the fact that over the past year, peaceful protesters, students, activists and journalists have been subjected to a wide range of repressive measures, including excessive use of force and police violence, arbitrary detentions and arrests, political exile, and other forms of intimidation; calls for targeted sanctions against individuals responsible for serious violations of law and human rights in Serbia;

15. Calls for urgent, impartial and transparent investigations into all allegations of unnecessary and disproportionate use of force and unlawful surveillance against demonstrators;

16. Expresses deep concern over the intensification of verbal attacks, smear campaigns and pressure against civil society organisations advocating for the rule of law; condemns the deterioration of working conditions for journalists and the media; urges Serbia to reverse its backsliding on freedom of expression;

17. Notes with concern that Serbia’s Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) remains unable to function because it lacks a legitimate and operational Council;

18. Stresses the importance of protecting academic freedom and institutional autonomy in line with the principles of the European Higher Education Area; expresses its deep concern over reports of financial, administrative and physical pressure on academic staff and of government measures’ interference with the institutional autonomy of universities;

Reconciliation and good neighbourly relations

19. Expects Kosovo and Serbia to fully cooperate and take all the necessary measures to swiftly bring to justice the perpetrators of the 2023 terrorist attack in Banjska; deplores the fact that Serbia still has not prosecuted the culprits, most notably Milan Radoičić, the Vice-President of Srpska Lista;

20. Recalls that the normalisation of relations with Kosovo and implementation of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue commitments remain an integral part of Serbia’s European perspective;

21. Reiterates its full support for the EU-facilitated Dialogue and welcomes the extended mandate of Peter Sørensen as the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue until 29 February 2028;

22. Reiterates the importance of constructive engagement on the part of the authorities of both Kosovo and Serbia in order to achieve a comprehensive, legally binding normalisation agreement, based on mutual recognition and in accordance with international law; calls on both Kosovo and Serbia to implement the Brussels and Ohrid Agreements, including the establishment of the Association/Community of Serb-Majority Municipalities and the lifting of Serbia’s opposition of Kosovo’s membership in regional and international organisations, and to avoid unilateral actions that could undermine the dialogue process;

23. Calls on Serbia to take a more active approach to tackling war crime denial and historical revisionism, particularly concerning the wars in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo;

24. Notes that unresolved ‘missing persons’ cases remain a serious challenge; urges Serbia to step up its reconciliation efforts and take a more active approach, particularly when it comes to missing persons;

Socio-economic reforms

25. Recalls that support from the Reform and Growth Plan is conditional on respect for effective democratic mechanisms, including a multi-party parliamentary system, free and fair elections, pluralistic media, an independent judiciary, the rule of law, and the fulfilment of all human rights obligations; notes with concern that in January 2026, the Commission nevertheless approved the first release of funds to Serbia under the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans; calls on the Commission to explain how the preconditions were fulfilled;

Energy, the environment, sustainable development and connectivity

26. Notes the politically sensitive developments regarding the oil and gas company Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) and the transformation of its ownership structure, in the context of the sanctions imposed by the United States and NIS’s majority ownership by the Russian companies Gazprom and Gazprom Neft;

27. Reiterates the importance of protecting environmental standards in Serbia, particularly with regard to mining projects, while fully respecting the rights of local communities;

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28. 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, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and 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.