BRUSSELS – The draft reports on Kosovo and Serbia were presented to the members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) yesterday. The documents identify deep political crises, both in Belgrade and in Pristina, and call on the parties to relaunch the dialogue on the normalisation of relations.
Among other things, the draft report on Serbia states that the pace of the EU-related reforms in Serbia has significantly slowed down, particularly in the domains of the rule of law and democracy.
“A lost year for Kosovo”
A draft annual report by Riho Terras, EP’s Rapporteur for Kosovo, notes that 2025 “was a lost year” for it, due to the ongoing political crisis.
Terras stressed that “Kosovo was in complete political paralysis, which also had consequences for the reform process”.
“It is regrettable that uncertainty and political deadlock have significantly slowed down the necessary reforms that the European Union expects from applicants, which are also clearly vital for the country itself. There are very clearly areas in which Kosovo has regressed significantly over the past year,” he remarked at the presentation in AFET.
The document also notes that the EU-mediated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia has failed to be fruitful.
“The dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, which was launched to find a compromise acceptable to the parties, unfortunately, has not yielded the expected results. The dialogue was essentially inactive during 2025. This also happened because Kosovo did not have a government with a mandate and full competencies, while negotiations in this form have no perspective”, it states.
The draft report notes that the European Commission, the European Parliament and EU member states must do everything to ensure that the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade continues with renewed energy.
In addition, it stressed the importance of constructive engagement by the Kosovo and Serbian authorities to reach a comprehensive and legally binding agreement on normalization, which, “should be based on mutual recognition and in accordance with international law”.
The document also calls on the five EU member states that have not recognized Kosovo’s independence “to move towards recognition, enabling Kosovo to progress on an equal footing with other candidates”.
Also, it supports Kosovo’s request for membership in the European Union, in the Council of Europe and for integration into NATO. These goals are evaluated as evidence of Kosovo’s unwavering strategic orientation towards Euro-Atlantic integration.
“The state of democracy and rule of law has deteriorated in Serbia”
In the debate following the presentation of the draft report on Serbia, MEPs pointed to the country’s backsliding in areas related to the rule of law, and called on the European Commission to review the Growth Plan funds allocated to the country.
Tonino Picula, EP’s Rapporteur for Serbia, stated that in spite of the fact that Serbia had declared the EU membership as its strategic goal, “the commitments made in practice did not bring results”.
He reminded that Serbia decided not to participate in the EU-Western Balkans summit, while attending a military parade in Moscow.
Picula noted that the electoral legislation has serious shortcomings, as well as that it is clear that without structural changes and full implementation of all ODIHR recommendations, the next elections cannot be fair.
In addition, he assessed that the amendments to key judicial laws “represent an unacceptable step backwards in the accession process and a severe blow to the independence of the judiciary”.
The draft report strongly condemns repressive measures and excessive use of force and police violence against protesters, as well as arbitrary arrests and systematic harassment of the opposition, activists, civil society and journalists.
“Citizens have the right to demand accountability for pervasive corruption because they want transparency. They have the right to freedom of expression, true rule of law and democratic reforms…. There has been a worrying and constant blow to academic freedom and autonomy, visible through financial, administrative and other pressures on the academic community”, Picula stressed.
He reminded that the role of the European Parliament also implies supervision of the budget and funds of the European Union, including the allocation of the funds from the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.
“It is questionable how this stagnation and backsliding of Serbia on the EU path is complementary to the payments from the Growth Plan”, Picula remarked.
According to him, the media situation in Serbia “is frightening on multiple levels“. I strongly condemn the escalation of attacks and intimidation of journalists that brings the country back to some bleak times… Freedom of expression is under increasing pressure, while REM has not been functioning for a long time… The attempts to eliminate other independent media are being strengthened… Unfortunately, the smear campaigns and toxic disinformation continue to dominate in Serbia”, Picula noted.
