Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament (AFET) voted on the final version of the Report on Serbia, prepared by the rapporteur Tonino Picula. 51 AFET members voted for the report, 14 were against, while ten abstained.
The report adopted at today's Committee, which also includes the so-called compromise amendments, and which N1 had a look at, is much sharper and more extensive than the original draft that was publicly presented on March 17.
The basic assessment in the adopted text remains that Serbia's progress towards membership in the European Union has been halted, with key problems in the areas of democracy, rule of law, media freedom, election conditions and relations with Kosovo, but that text was expanded after compromise amendments with a series of new criticisms, concrete events and more precise demands towards the authorities in Serbia and the European Commission.
The rapporteur of the European Parliament for Serbia, Tonino Picula, assessed that Serbia cannot simultaneously proclaim EU membership as a strategic goal, while, as he stated, undermines democratic standards, neglects reforms and recommendations on electoral integrity, and does not harmonize foreign and security policy with the EU.
Picula said that Serbia's path to the EU will remain blocked until the political leadership shows, as he stated, true commitment to European values and obligations from the accession process, writes FoNet.
In the part about the political situation, concern is expressed about the deepening of the crisis in Serbia in the context of mass protests since November 2024, with the assessment that free and fair elections are the key to solving it.
Compared to the first draft, the version agreed at AFET does not soften the criticisms, but rather makes them even tougher. The text emphasizes that the EU accession process is based on merit, but also "reversible", as well as that Serbia must not only adopt reforms, but also fully implement them. In particular, it is stated that the gap between legal alignment and actual implementation continues to undermine Serbia's progress.
The report also states that Serbia has made limited or no progress in meeting the criteria for membership in many negotiation chapters, as well as that the non-paper commitments from November 2024, related to the opening of Cluster 3, remain largely unfulfilled. The European Commission is requested that any significant setback of Serbia on the EU path be reflected in the pace and scope of financial support.
Source: N1/FoNet
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