BRUSSELS – The reports on Serbia and Kosovo were adopted by the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) of the European Parliament today. The documents assess that Serbia has made “no progress in areas critical for EU membership”, whereas “Kosovo’s commitment to joining the EU is firm”. Also, both sides are urged to continue the dialogue on the normalization of the relations in good faith.
The document, drafted by the EP’s Rapporteurs for Serbia and Kosovo, Tonino Picula (S&D) and Riho Terras (EPP), represents Parliament’s position on the 2023 and 2024 annual reports on Serbia and Kosovo by the European Commission (covering two years since last year the new EP was elected). The documents will be submitted to a vote by the plenary.
The Serbian government missed the opportunity to meet the students’ demands
“Serbian authorities need to show strong political will and consistency in the implementation of EU-related reforms and to communicate unambiguously to citizens on the EU and on Serbia’s European path”, states the report, adopted by 55 votes in favour, 13 against and 8 abstentions.
Acknowledging Serbia’s good level of preparation with regard to macroeconomic stability and fiscal discipline, MEPs note with concern that there has been limited or no overall progress in meeting the criteria for EU membership in critical areas such as the rule of law, media freedom, public administration reform, and alignment with EU policies, in particular on EU foreign policy.
Serbia’s continued close relations with Russia raise concerns about its strategic orientation, say MEPs. They call on the EU to reconsider the extent of financial assistance to Serbia if the country continues to support anti-democratic ideologies and fails to align with EU sanctions and common foreign and security policy.
Stressing that the level of corruption in Serbia is a significant obstacle to its EU accession process, MEPs call for full and transparent legal proceedings and an official investigation into the collapse of the canopy of Novi Sad train station on 1 November 2024, and an impartial investigation into the alleged use of unlawful crowd control technology against protesters.
In addition, MEPs are deeply concerned about the systemic issues highlighted by the student and other protests in Serbia, such as issues relating to civil liberties, separation of powers, corruption, environmental protection and institutional and financial transparency.
Izvještaj o Srbiji, čiji sam autor i predlagač, jutros je prihvaćen na AFETu s 55
, 13
i 8 suzdržanih glasova.
Finalna rasprava i glasovanje o izvješću očekuje se sljedeći mjesec na plenarnom zasjedanju u Strasbourgu. Hvala kolegama na dobroj suradnji i podršci. pic.twitter.com/2mwEqr3ctp— Tonino Picula (@TPicula) April 9, 2025
They regret the fact that the government “missed the opportunity to meet the students’ demands, which align to a great extent with the reforms that Serbia is expected to implement as it moves towards EU accession”.
Speaking about the report, Tonino Picula, the EP’s Rapporteur for Serbia and a member of S&D group in the EP, noted that “a long political crisis, intensified by a lack of progress on fundamental criteria such as corruption, the rule of law, media freedom and electoral reform, is having a direct impact on Serbia’s progress towards EU membership”.
“For too long, Serbia has been trying to take the best of EU funds while sidelining our core values and our geopolitical orientation. The enlargement process is merit-based, and Serbia’s progress could have a positive impact on the region”, Picula stressed.
According to Picula, the EP’s message is clear – “democracy, rule of law, the fight against corruption, no disinformation, media freedom”.
“That is what the EU expects from Serbia. This is what the people of Serbia demand”, he underlines.
S&D group stated that the report adopted by AFET confirms that the situation in Serbia is alarming.
Call for the immediate lifting of the EU measures against Kosovo
“Kosovo has made notable strides in electoral reforms, economic resilience, and the protection of fundamental rights, but challenges remain in judicial reform, media freedom, public administration efficiency, and the digitalisation of public services”, says the report on Kosovo, which was adopted by 48 votes in favour, 19 against and 6 abstentions.
The document also points out that the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue has yet to yield the expected results.
Kosovo’s determination to join the European Union has been constant, and all efforts to bring Kosovo out of the ‘grey zone’ are in the interests of both Kosovo and the EU, stress MEPs in the report. They fully support Kosovo’s application for membership in the Council of Europe, its strategic intention to join the NATO Partnership for Peace programme, and its bids to join other international organisations.
Pointing out that strong political commitment is necessary to establish a solid track record on fighting high-level corruption, MEPs welcome the progress made on adjudicating corruption cases. They also call on Kosovo to continue to enhance the Special Prosecution Office’s capacity to investigate and prosecute high-profile cases of organised crime.
Kosovo’s future lies in the family — we need fresh momentum in dialogue with Belgrade and a strong, merit-based reform path toward integration.
Today, @EP_ForeignAff adopted a report on Kosovo’s progress toward EU integration.@EPPGroup @Europarl_EN pic.twitter.com/74VBLhRZeQ— Riho Terras (@RihoTerras) April 9, 2025
Calling for the immediate lifting of the EU measures against Kosovo, which are no longer justified as Kosovo has fulfilled the EU requirements, MEPs underline that the measures stand in gross contradiction to Kosovo’s commitment to European values and are hindering the resumption of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue in good faith.
Stressing that the dialogue has not yielded the expected results, the report urges 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 to Kosovo’s membership of regional and international organisations.
In addition, it is underlined that “the two countries should also avoid unilateral actions that could undermine the dialogue process”.
According to Riho Terras, the EP’s Rapporteur for Kosovo, “it is clear that Kosovo’s integration process needs new momentum, we need a new chapter in the talks between Pristina and Belgrade”.
“It is extremely positive that in Kosovo’s political landscape, all major parties are strongly in favour of EU integration. Kosovo’s future is in the European family, and we will work together on the reform agenda because any future accession must be merit-based”, Terras said.