Serbia has made limited or no progress in fulfilling the criteria for membership in the European Union.

This was stated today by the rapporteur for Serbia, Tonino Picula, before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament /EP/, BGNES reported.

He did not fail to talk about the mass protests against Aleksandar Vucic's regime in recent months.
Picula recalled that Serbia has officially expressed its desire to become an EU member and its intention to align itself with the EU acquis by the end of 2026, but it must demonstrate that it is truly strategically oriented towards this goal.

Picula pointed out that Serbia received candidate status in 2012 and began negotiations in 2014, opening 22 out of 35 chapters, i.e. clusters 1 and 4, but the country needs to do more, especially in the areas of the rule of law, public administration reform, normalisation of relations with Kosovo and harmonisation with the Union's foreign and security policy.

The rapporteur also stressed that Serbia adopted the revised methodology for the European integration process in 2021, but has made limited or no progress in fulfilling the membership criteria.

It is necessary to implement the recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission after the December 2023 elections, to reform the electoral system and address its shortcomings. It is crucial to ensure the independence of institutions, including the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media, Picula urged.

Picula also addressed the protesting students, saying that he condemned the violent attacks against them. The EP rapporteur expressed concerns that some of the students were arrested and subjected to unfair legal proceedings.

He also condemned the Serbian authorities' unsubstantiated allegations that EU member states were involved in organising student protests to launch a "colour revolution", as well as the expulsion of EU citizens.

Picula explained that normalising relations with Kosovo was crucial for Belgrade's progress on its European path. He called on both countries to avoid escalating tensions and to respect the agreements reached through the Brussels-brokered dialogue.

He expressed his expectation that Serbia would take all necessary measures to arrest and swiftly bring to justice the "perpetrators of the terrorist attack" in the village of Banska, northern Kosovo, in September 2023, especially the main organiser Milan Radojčić. | BGNES