Changes between two versions
What changed between the draft committee report and the plenary report
AI:What changed, in short
Adds strong criticism of Serbia's foreign policy alignment with Russia and China, including calls for sanctions alignment and condemnation of military cooperation.351117 Expands sections on rule of law, media freedom, and elections with detailed concerns and calls for action, including on judicial independence and disinformation.67910 Adds paragraphs on regional relations, including normalisation with Kosovo, condemnation of 'Serbian World', and war crimes reconciliation.121314 Introduces conditionality for EU funds on reforms and normalisation with Kosovo, and calls for suspension of funds without progress.1516 Other changes are formal: updated final instructions for forwarding the resolution.20
17 changes of substance · 1 formal · 2 of wording only
Written by AI from the two texts only · read the changes before relying on it · 4 Sept 2026 · Report a problem
+107 added · −20 removed · 12 changed paragraphs, packaging included.
Part 4 of 4: EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
4 unchanged paragraphs
This draft report provides Parliament’s response to the 2025 Commission report on Serbia. It reflects the events of the past year as well as more recent ones, including the Committee on Foreign Affairs’ mission to Serbia from 22 to 24 January 2026.
Serbia has been an EU candidate country since 2012. Since accession negotiations with Serbia began in January 2014, 22 out of 35 chapters have been opened. Serbia accepted the revised enlargement methodology in June 2021, but has made no progress on opening new clusters since December 2021.
In recent years, Serbia’s progress towards EU accession has stalled, with concerns predominantly focused on the state of democracy and the rule of law. There are many urgent issues to resolve, particularly heightened political polarisation and tensions, the need for structural reforms addressing the rule of law, anti-corruption and other EU-related matters, and the necessity of reaching a comprehensive normalisation agreement with Kosovo, while achieving full alignment with EU foreign policy.
The draft report also addresses important issues regarding the independence of key institutions and stresses the need to implement all outstanding commitments, including recommendations on key aspects of the electoral process, in an inclusive and transparent manner.