The Council welcomes the overall progress made in the accession negotiations with 14 out of 35 negotiating chapters opened and 2 chapters provisionally closed so far. The Council recalls that progress on the rule of law and fundamental rights chapters, as well as on the normalisation of Serbia’s relations with Kosovo as set out in the Negotiating Framework, is essential and will continue to determine the pace of accession negotiations overall. The implementation of interim benchmarks for chapters 23 and 24 and of the respective Action Plans should continue to guide future reforms leading to a solid track record.
The Council welcomes the reaffirmed commitment of the Serbian government to EU integration as its strategic objective. It is now crucial that this strategic choice be more actively and unambiguously communicated in the public debate.
The Council urges Serbia to significantly step up its reform efforts in the area of rule of law, and in particular to ensure the independence and overall efficiency of the judicial system. A special focus needs to be put on effective reform implementation in this area, including tangible results and a sustainable track record with effective investigations, prosecutions and final convictions, notably as regards the fight against corruption, organised crime and money laundering. The lack of progress in the area of freedom of expression raises increasing concern. The authorities should guarantee a safe climate conducive to the unhindered exercise of freedom of expression and the independence of the media as a matter of priority, including by stepping up efforts to investigate cases of attacks against journalists. Serbia needs to pay particular attention to the full respect of fundamental rights, including protection of the most vulnerable groups, as well as the non-discriminatory treatment of national minorities throughout Serbia, especially in the areas of education, use of minority languages, access to media and religious services in minority languages. Cases of hate speech, intimidation and attacks should be addressed promptly and firmly. The Council reiterates its call for effective implementation of the relevant strategic documents. Moreover, transparency, inclusiveness and quality of law making need to be enhanced, including by promoting an enabling environment for civil society. Further progress on the proper functioning of independent bodies and of democratic institutions, including parliamentary oversight, as well as on constitutional reforms, is urgently needed. Following the latest elections, the Council underlines that the recommendations of international election observers need to be followed up as a matter of priority. The Council also underscores the importance of domestic handling of war crimes and full cooperation with the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT).
On economic reforms, in line with the Joint Conclusions of the Economic and Financial dialogue between the EU and the Western Balkans and Turkey, the Council positively notes the continuous progress made and encourages Serbia to further improve the business environment, tackle the government debt and advance on the implementation of structural reforms, in particular in the energy and transport sectors, the labour market, the tax administration and public procurement, including the restructuring and privatisation of stateowned enterprises.
The Council welcomes the long overdue start of the work of the Management Team to draft the statute of the Association/Community of Serb majority municipalities in Kosovo in accordance with the 2013 Brussels Agreement and the 2015 August Agreement and expects both sides to engage constructively in the process in order to rapidly fulfil this longstanding commitment. The Council calls for swiftly overcoming the remaining hurdles in the implementation of the agreement on Energy. Taking account of the slow pace of progress, the Council stresses the importance of completing the implementation of all other past agreements and in particular the Mitrovica Bridge, Integrated Border Management and the mutual recognition of diplomas. The Council urges Serbia to swiftly implement in good faith its part of all past agreements and to engage constructively with Kosovo in formulating and implementing future agreements. The Council welcomes the implementation of the agreement on Justice in autumn 2017 that ensures the functioning of an integrated judiciary in Kosovo and offers access to justice for all the communities. The Council will continue to monitor closely Serbia’s continued engagement towards visible and sustainable progress in the normalisation of relations with Kosovo, so that Serbia and Kosovo can continue on their respective European paths, while avoiding that either can block the other in these efforts and with the prospect of both being able to fully exercise their rights and fulfil their responsibilities. The Council expresses its appreciation for the work of the High Representative in facilitating the Dialogue and looks forward to her further intensive engagement with the parties, with a view to reaching comprehensive normalisation.
The Council reiterates its call on Serbia to progressively align with the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy, in line with the Negotiating Framework, and to reverse the current declining trend as a matter of priority.
The Council also calls on Serbia to refrain from diverging from the EU common visa policy, where recent practices, such as the conclusion of visa liberalisation agreements with certain third countries, raise concern.
The Council welcomes Serbia’s constructive engagement in regional cooperation and encourages Serbia to continue sustained efforts to strengthen good neighbourly relations.
