site.btaSerbian Students' Demands Coincide with Reforms Necessary on EU Path, Says Report Adopted by EP Foreign Affairs Committee

The demands of the protesting Serbian students align to a great extent with the reforms that Serbia is expected to implement as it moves towards EU accession, it is stated in a report voted on Wednesday by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament. The report was supported by 55 MEPs, 13 were against and 8 abstained. The document is expected to be voted on by MEPs at the next plenary session of the European Parliament.

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. 

The overall pace of the accession negotiations also depends on Serbia’s commitment to the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, which is to be conducted in good faith in order to secure a legally binding agreement based on mutual recognition, states the report.

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.

MEPs are deeply concerned about the systemic issues highlighted by student and other protests in Serbia, such as issues relating to civil liberties, separation of powers, corruption, environmental protection and institutional and financial transparency. 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.

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. MEPs 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.