The Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament regrets the lack of progress in many areas of Serbia’s reform agenda and the fact that there has even been backsliding on issues that are fundamental for EU accession such as rule of law, fundamental rights, media freedom, and the functioning of democratic institutions and public administration. These findings are part of the progress report today adopted by the plenary, which encourages Serbian authorities to show in both words and deeds their commitment to European values and the EU accession process. Nevertheless, MEPs welcome the fact that EU membership continues to be Serbia’s strategic goal and that it is among the priorities of the government.
Renew Europe MEP, Klemen Grošelj (Lista Marjana Šarca, Slovenia), shadow rapporteur on Serbia, said:
“Serbia’s path to the EU is wide open, the path is known, the advantages and disadvantages are known, as well as obstacles along the way, and now it is up to Serbia to find the will and energy to follow this path quickly, efficiently and in the interest of its citizens. It takes hard work to find a broad political and social consensus, but any shortcut, as tempting as it may be, is already proving to be a significantly worse alternative to Serbia’s European integration.”
Renew Europe MEP, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, (Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Bulgaria), shadow rapporteur on Kosovo, welcomed the country’s efforts to implement reforms and to maintain constructive neighbourly relations throughout the region:“Kosovo demonstrated continued and strong commitment to advancing on its European path and to accelerating reforms, as well as strong support for European integration among the population. It is high time for all EU member states to recognise Kosovo and allow its citizens to benefit from visa liberalization because all benchmarks have been fulfilled since 2018.
The last elections once again demonstrated that the country deserves credit for showing high levels of political maturity and I look forward for the new government to speed up the reforms and work actively on the Pristina – Belgrade dialogue.”