Serbia fails to align with EU decisions on Ukraine, Russia, and Venezuela

Serbia is the only EU candidate country from the Western Balkans that has not aligned itself with three new EU foreign policy decisions regarding Ukraine, Russia, and Venezuela, while it has aligned with decisions related to situations in North Korea, Mali, and Haiti.

“Regarding the three new Council of the EU decisions, all other candidate countries from the region – North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina – have aligned themselves and will ensure that their national policies are in line with them. The EU takes note of this commitment and welcomes it,” the EU stated.

Serbia did not align with the decision expanding the list of individuals and entities subject to restrictive measures for undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine, CE Report quotes FENA.

It also did not align with the decision on restrictive measures against individuals and entities due to the situation in Venezuela, violations of democracy and the rule of law, human rights abuses, and repression of civil society and the democratic opposition, including events following the presidential elections.

Serbia also did not align with the decision expanding the list of individuals and entities subject to restrictive measures due to Russia’s destabilizing activities.

At the same time, Serbia, together with other EU candidate countries, aligned with three new decisions concerning restrictive measures against individuals and entities in North Korea, the situation in Haiti, and the situation in Mali.

Serbia began EU accession negotiations in January 2014 and has so far opened 22 out of 35 negotiating chapters, temporarily closing only two. However, negotiations with Serbia have been practically frozen since December 2021, when the last chapters were opened.

Although the European Commission’s progress report assessed that Serbia is technically ready to open Cluster 3, the cluster has not been opened even in 2025, as the approval of all member states is required.

EU member states have stated that opening negotiating Cluster 3 requires Serbia to achieve “further progress in the rule of law and the normalization of relations with Kosovo.” The delay followed after it became clear that there was no necessary consensus among member states on opening Cluster 3 for Serbia.

In its last two progress reports on Serbia – at the end of 2024 and 2025 – the European Commission noted that there has been no progress in the functioning of democratic institutions, the rule of law, freedom of the media, and freedom of expression, alongside increased government repression during anti-government protests that began at the end of 2024.

Cluster 3 includes eight chapters: digital transformation and media; taxation; economic and monetary policy; social policy and employment; entrepreneurship and industrial policy; science and research; education and culture; customs union.

Of these eight chapters, Serbia had already opened five before the change in the negotiation methodology. The new methodology, adopted at the beginning of 2020, foresees opening several related chapters together in six clusters, six thematic areas.

Serbian authorities maintain that Serbia meets the conditions to open Cluster 3, even though Serbia is backtracking in its EU accession process and has not opened a single chapter in the last four years.

Foto: European council