Eight out of 27 member states opposed opening another round of accession talks with Serbia at a meeting attended by European Union ambassadors in Brussels on Wednesday, three EU diplomats confirmed to Euronews.
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The member states that oppose opening Cluster 3 –which centres on competitiveness and inclusive growth – were the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Croatia.
The three member states that remain less opposed but not convinced are Denmark, Luxembourg and Latvia, while general supporters of Serbian accession include power brokerFrance.
French President Emmanuel Macron previously stated that the bloc requires a “strong and democratic Serbia” by its side.
Supportive states are concerned about the risk of further alienating the Western Balkans country and not rewarding it for attempted reforms.
‘Double standards’
Serbia formally applied for EU membership in 2009 and was granted official EU candidate status in 2012. Twenty-two chapters have been opened during this time and two have been provisionally closed.
Unanimous support from the EU’s27 member states is required to open and close any negotiating clusters, which are thematic groupings of law and policy areas.
Serbia’s former Prime Minister Ana Brnabić has railed against claims that her country is pro-Russian, telling Euronews that Serbia has backed Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion while decrying what she described as EU accession “double standards”.
A European Commission spokesperson told Euronews on Monday that a document explaining why the EU executive believes “recent steps” taken by the Serbian authorities justify the opening of Cluster 3 had been shared with EU countries that day.
Serbia has implemented substantial elements of the commitments it made to address member states’ concerns, including repealing controversial amendments to judicial laws alongside progress on media freedom, the electoral framework and cooperation with the EU on foreign and security policy, according to the document seen by Euronews.
While Serbia has yet to align with EU sanctions against Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Commission noted that Belgrade has cooperated with the bloc to counter sanctions circumvention, provided substantial support to Ukraine and intensified high-level political contacts with Kyiv.
The document also acknowledged that Serbia’s work is far from complete, stating that “further work is still required” on judicial reform and the prosecutorial system.
The meeting on Wednesday was convened to see whether this assessment is shared by the capitals.
‘Positive developments’
One EU diplomat speaking to Euronews on condition of anonymity stated that the general opposition by the eight was centred on Serbia’s “problematic” rule of law issues and “non-alignment with sanctions”.
Another said several member states agreed with the Commission’s positive endorsement, stating that Serbia “has met” or is “on track” to meet the criteria to move forward with Cluster 3.
Various senior EU officials have publicly endorsed opening Cluster 3, particularly after Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić reversed controversial judicial amendments in June after the Venice Commission recommended changes.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos is among one of the most senior supporters.
“In light of the recent, some positive developments, the Commission renewed its recommendation to the Council to open Cluster 3 in the accession negotiations with Serbia,” Kos said on Tuesday during a debate regarding Serbian accession at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
“The Commission will also continue to incentivise further reform progress for the benefit of all Serbian citizens and the whole Serbian society.”
‘All the demands from the European Union’
Also on Wednesday, Members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg voted overwhelmingly in support of Serbia’s 2025 enlargement report, with 468 votes in favour, 116 against and 79 abstentions.
The Commission’s report includes recommendations to reform the conduct of elections, strengthening the judiciary and stamping out corruption. It also reiterates that Cluster 3 is technically ready to be opened.
Croatian MEP Tonino Picula (Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats), the report’s rapporteur, said in a press conference following the vote that the situation in the country has been “deteriorating” over the past few years.
Reforms have halted and the pace has slowed, he said.
“While the European Union is experiencing renewed momentum for enlargement with neighbouring Montenegro and Albania advancing their accession negotiations, Serbia’s EU-related reforms have largely stalled in several key areas, most notably in the rule of law and democratic standards,” he said.
Asked by a reporter why the European Parliament’s opinion diverges from the Commission’s recommendation to open Cluster 3, Picula said he was intrigued.
“We based our own report on the many assessments and all points derived from that Commission’s reports. So, for us, it’s unclear, where does (the) Commission see progress?” he responded.
After the report was published late last year, Vučić defended his country’s goodwill to carry out the reforms.
“We have to consider all the remarks, all the demands from the European Union,” Vučić said at the time, adding: “Serbia is very much committed to its EU path and will take it in a very serious and responsible way.”
