The European Parliament has adopted a Resolution on Serbia, reaffirming that the country’s progress towards EU membership depends on genuine democratic reforms and their effective implementation. The Resolution calls for tangible progress in the rule of law, judicial independence, free and fair elections, media freedom, the fight against corruption and organised crime, and stronger engagement with civil society. Rapporteur for Serbia Tonino Picula stressed that the accession process has effectively stalled due to democratic backsliding, weak implementation of reforms and insufficient alignment with EU values and foreign policy. These concerns were echoed by eight EU member states, which opposed opening Cluster 3 in Serbia’s accession negotiations, citing shortcomings in the rule of law and Serbia’s limited alignment with the EU’s foreign and security policy, including its refusal to impose sanctions on Russia. Read the European Parliament’s press release and more on the COREPER discussions.
Source: European Parliament/ European Western Balkans