Toughest EC Report on Serbia yet: Belgrade delivered on less than half its promises

On November 4, the European Commission (EC) will release its enlargement reports for all candidate countries, and according to N1’s EU correspondent, the one on Serbia will be the most unfavorable since membership talks began.

The biggest criticisms will focus on backsliding in democracy, fundamental rights, and media freedom.

N1 sources say Brussels is aware that some progress has been made - such as efforts to form a new Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) Council, the adoption of media laws, and the start of the voter register audit - but stress that “progress only counts when reforms are fully implemented.”

A particular ongoing concern remains Serbia’s poor alignment with the European Union’s (EU) foreign policy, especially regarding sanctions against Russia.

While the report considers overall alignment percentages, Serbian authorities’ attempts to boost those figures by aligning with decisions unrelated to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine won’t fly.

According to N1 sources, the European Commission believes “sitting on two chairs is no longer an option” and that it is time for Belgrade to clearly decide whether its strategic priority is the European Union or Moscow.

N1 has also learned that, for the first time, the European Commission will not recommend opening Cluster 3 in its enlargement report - a step it took in previous years.

A more reserved formulation is expected, that is, confirmation that Serbia remains “technically ready” to open the cluster, but without recommending that the European Council proceed.

N1’s EU correspondent has learned that the biggest obstacle to opening Cluster 3 was created by the Serbian government itself.

At end of last year, Belgrade sent member states a non-paper, that is, a list of reform steps the Serbian Government pledged to complete to unlock the cluster. However, it has been assessed in Brussels that less than half of those commitments have been met.

The enlargement report will be published on November 4, and N1 sources say the tone toward Serbia will be “significantly tougher” than in previous years.