Minister of European Integration Tanja Miščević and Member of the European Parliament and Rapporteur for Serbia Tonino Picula met today in Belgrade to discuss Serbia’s EU accession process, with a particular focus on the reforms the country is implementing to advance in this process.
Minister Miščević informed her counterpart about the competencies and activities of the Ministry of European Integration, particularly those related to coordinating Serbia’s EU accession negotiations, as well as the coordination of the drafting and implementing of the country’s Reform Agenda.
Miščević emphasised that European integration was a key priority of Serbia’s foreign policy and that the country was ready to seize the new enlargement momentum by fulfilling its accession obligations. The Minister stated that Serbia was actively working towards full alignment with EU law and practice by the end of 2026. She also underscored the importance of the Growth Plan and the Reform Agenda, which outline priority measures to accelerate the process.
The European Parliament’s Rapporteur for Serbia, Tonino Picula, stated that Serbia must seriously demonstrate its strategic orientation towards the EU and communicate about the EU objectively and unambiguously. Significant shortcomings persist in critical areas such as the rule of law, media freedom, the electoral framework, the widespread presence of corruption in many sectors, and public administration reform.
Picula condemned the unfounded accusations against the EU and its Member States, alleging their involvement in organising the ongoing student-led protests.
Finally, he expressed the European Parliament’s willingness to support the revitalisation of political and democratic processes related to Serbia’s European path, using existing tools and initiatives to support democracy.
The two officials also discussed the draft Report on Serbia, which is currently in the process of being adopted by the European Parliament. Once approved in a plenary session of this European institution, the report will take the form of a Resolution, which is neither legally nor politically binding for EU institutions and Member States.
