2023 and 2024 Commission reports on Serbia

Amendments tabled for the plenary sitting on this text, in their own numbering series. This is a different set from the committee amendments tracked elsewhere on AmendEU, and is not counted in any of the site’s amendment totals.

1. Amendment 1ESNMotion for a resolution · Recital A
   Current text

   A. whereas enlargement is one of the most successful EU foreign policy instruments and a strategic geopolitical investment in long-term peace, stability and security throughout the continent;

   Amendment

   A. whereas the EU should prioritise internal reforms over further enlargement;

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2. Amendment 2ESNMotion for a resolution · Recital F
   Current text

   F. whereas freedom of religion is a core European value and a fundamental human right and Serbia is therefore obliged to respect and guarantee this freedom for all individuals residing within its territory, in accordance with its international commitments and human rights obligations;

   Amendment

   F. whereas freedom of religion is a core European value and a fundamental human right; whereas the internal regulation of religious matters must remain under the full sovereignty of the Serbian state;

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3. Amendment 3ESNMotion for a resolution · Recital H
   Current text

   H. whereas each candidate country for enlargement is judged on its own merits, including their respect for and unwavering commitment to shared European rights and values and alignment with the EU’s foreign and security policy;

   Amendment

   H. whereas every sovereign country has the right to independently determine its political and foreign policy orientation, without external conditions or pressure;

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4. Amendment 4ESNMotion for a resolution · Recital I
   Current text

   I. whereas Serbia has not imposed sanctions against Russia following the Russian aggression in Ukraine; whereas Serbia’s rate of alignment with the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) has been steadily declining since 2021; whereas Serbia supports the territorial integrity and political independence of Ukraine, and has clearly condemned the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine and voted alongside the EU in the UN, even though it has not imposed sanctions against Russia; whereas Serbia’s rate of alignment with the CFSP dropped from 54 % in 2023 to 51 % in 2024 while other candidate countries in the region – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia – ach…

   Amendment

   I. whereas Serbia’s decision not to impose sanctions against Russia is a sovereign political decision by Serbia and should be respected; whereas every country has a right to conduct its foreign policy in alignment with its national priorities;

   Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
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5. Amendment 5ESNMotion for a resolution · Recital L
   Current text

   L. whereas accession to the EU inevitably requires full alignment with the foreign policy objectives of the Union;

   Amendment

   L. whereas the accession process to the EU is used as a pretext to impose political ideas and EU foreign policy on sovereign states, thereby undermining national sovereignty and democracy;

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6. Amendment 6ESNMotion for a resolution · Recital O a (new)
   Amendment

   Oa. whereas Western media and NGO networks formerly funded through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) are using their influence in Serbia to manipulate public opinion, destabilise the country and interfere in its internal affairs, thereby undermining Serbia’s democracy;

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7. Amendment 7ESNMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 1 a (new)
   Amendment

   1a. Opposes Serbia’s accession to the EU;

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8. Amendment 8ESNMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 65
   Current text

   65. Calls on Serbia to increase its efforts towards the decarbonisation of its energy system and to enable effective enforcement of pollution reduction regulations related to thermal power plants;

   Amendment

   65. Stresses the need for an effective enforcement of pollution reduction regulations related to thermal power plants;

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9. Amendment 9Verts/ALEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 27 a (new)
   Amendment

   27a. Is deeply concerned about the increasing political and financial pressure on primary and secondary school teachers, as well as university professors, who were deprived of their salaries for taking part in the collective action to support students’ demands; deplores in this context the unacceptable legal proceedings and media smear campaign against the Rector of the University of Belgrade;

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10. Amendment 10Verts/ALEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 27 b (new)
    Amendment

    27b. Condemns in the strongest possible term the detention of six activists from the Movement of Free Citizens and the Students against Authoritarian Rule (STAV) organisation in Novi Sad owing to their participation in the mass protest of 15 March 2025; urges the Serbian authorities to immediately release all detained activists and halt legal cases related to the protest of 15 March;

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11. Amendment 11Verts/ALEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 49 a (new)
    Amendment

    49a. Reiterates its support for the initiative to establish a regional commission for the establishment of facts about war crimes and other gross human rights violations on the territory of the former Yugoslavia (RECOM);

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12. Amendment 12The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 1
    Current text

    1. Notes Serbia’s stated commitment to EU membership as its strategic goal and its ambition to align fully with the EU acquis by the end of 2026; urges Serbia to deliver quickly and decisively on essential reforms, especially in cluster 1, for this very ambitious commitment to be perceived as realistic, genuine and meaningful; stresses the need for Serbia to seriously and categorically demonstrate that it is strategically oriented towards the EU, by showing strong political will and consistency in the implementation of EU-related reforms and by communicating objectively and unambiguously with its citizens about the EU, Serbia’s European path and the required reforms;

    Amendment

    1. Notes Serbia’s stated commitment to EU membership as its strategic goal and its ambition to align fully with the EU acquis by the end of 2026; urges Serbia to deliver quickly and decisively on essential reforms, especially in cluster 1, for this very ambitious commitment to be perceived as realistic, genuine and meaningful;

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13. Amendment 13The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 6
    Current text

    6. Stresses the importance of implementing sanctions against Russia for the security of Europe as a whole; deplores Serbia’s continued close relations with Russia, raising concerns about its strategic orientation; reiterates its calls on the Serbian authorities to enhance transparency regarding the role and activities of the so-called Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center in Nis and to immediately terminate all military cooperation with Russia; notes Serbia’s decision to support the UN resolution condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine three years after the full-scale invasion; regrets President Vučić’s immediate verbal retraction of Serbia’s UN vote, calling it a ‘mistake’; considers t…

    Amendment

    6. Reiterates its calls on the Serbian authorities to enhance transparency regarding the role and activities of the so-called Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center in Nis and to immediately terminate all military cooperation with Russia; notes Serbia’s decision to support the UN resolution condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine three years after the full-scale invasion;

    Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
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14. Amendment 14The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 8
    Current text

    8. Deplores the continued spread of disinformation, including about Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; condemns the spillover effects of these actions in other countries in the region; calls on the Serbian authorities to combat disinformation and calls for the EU to enhance cooperation with Serbia to strengthen democratic resilience and counter hybrid threats;

    Amendment

    8. Calls on the Serbian authorities to combat disinformation and calls for the EU to enhance cooperation with Serbia to strengthen democratic resilience and counter hybrid threats;

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15. Amendment 15The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 17 a (new)
    Amendment

    17a. Welcomes the student demonstrations of recent months, as well as the subsequent resignation of Prime Minister Vučević and the setting of an election date, as evidence of a healthy democratic and reformist discourse present within Serbian society, particularly among the younger generations;

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16. Amendment 16The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 37
    Current text

    37. Calls on Serbia to fight disinformation, including manipulative anti-EU narratives and, in particular, to end its own state-sponsored disinformation campaigns; condemns the opening of an RT office in Belgrade, the launch of RT’s online news service in Serbian and the continued operation of the Russian online news service Sputnik Srbija, which is used to propagate pro-Russian narratives and misinformation across the Western Balkans region; urges the Serbian authorities to counter hybrid threats and fully align with the Council’s decision on the suspension of the broadcasting activities of Sputnik and RT; is deeply concerned about the spread of disinformation about the Russian aggression a…

    Amendment

    37. Encourages the development of common instruments to combat disinformation and safeguard freedom of expression across Europe; urges the Serbian Government to promote measures ensuring freedom of information for minorities, particularly through access to public media outlets;

    Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
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17. Amendment 17The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 56
    Current text

    56. Is concerned about the investment in Serbia by Russia and China and their growing influence on the political and economic processes in the region;

    Amendment

    deleted

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18. Amendment 18The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 61
    Current text

    61. Recognises the important role of Serbia’s business community in advancing economic convergence with the EU, including through the opportunities offered by and in the implementation of the growth plan as a sustainable alternative to Russian and Chinese investment in the country; welcomes the business community’s contribution to advancing socio-economic relations in the Western Balkans;

    Amendment

    61. Recognises the important role of the Serbian business community in promoting economic convergence with the EU, including through the opportunities offered by the Growth Plan and its implementation as a sustainable alternative to non-EU country investments in the country; welcomes the contribution of the business community to the advancement of socio-economic relations in the Western Balkans;

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19. Amendment 19The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 63
    Current text

    63. Calls on Serbia to increase its efforts towards the transposition of relevant environmental and climate acquis and to ensure the proper application of environmental protection standards, including by significantly enhancing its administrative and technical capacities at all levels of government, notably on waste management legislation and the adoption of the Climate Change Adaptation Programme and the National Energy and Climate Plan; urges the Serbian authorities to improve the transparency and environmental impact assessment of all investment, including from China and Russia;

    Amendment

    63. Calls on Serbia to increase its efforts towards the transposition of relevant environmental and climate acquis and to ensure the proper application of environmental protection standards, including by significantly enhancing its administrative and technical capacities at all levels of government, notably on waste management legislation and the adoption of the Climate Change Adaptation Programme and the National Energy and Climate Plan; urges the Serbian authorities to improve the transparency and environmental impact assessment of all investment;

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20. Amendment 20The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 69
    Current text

    69. Reiterates that it is important for Serbia to continue diversifying its energy supply, to be able to break away from its dependency on Russia; takes note of the sanctions announced by the United States against Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), a subsidiary of the Russian Gazprom; welcomes the completion of the gas interconnector between Serbia and Bulgaria (IBS) in December 2023; regrets the postponement of the launching of the IBS’s commercial operation; calls for the swift finalisation of the permitting process to ensure its full operability in compliance with the energy community acquis; notes that Serbia is taking steps to introduce a carbon tax by 2027 as a step towards aligning with…

    Amendment

    69. Reiterates the importance of diversifying Serbia’s energy supply, which requires reducing its dependence on non-EU countries, and for it to start working to improve its energy performance of buildings; notes that Serbia is taking steps to introduce a carbon tax by 2027 as a step towards aligning with the EU emissions trading system;

    Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
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21. Amendment 21S&DMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 17
    Current text

    17. Takes note of the resignation of Prime Minister Miloš Vučević on 28 January 2025, which was confirmed by the National Assembly on 19 March 2025; takes note of the resumption of the work of the National Assembly on 4 March 2025, after a pause of three months, and condemns all the acts of violence that occurred on this occasion;

    Amendment

    17. Takes note of the resignation of Prime Minister Miloš Vučević on 28 January 2025, which was confirmed by the National Assembly on 19 March 2025, and of the subsequent election of the new government led by Đuro Macut, appointed on 16 April 2025; takes note of the resumption of the work of the National Assembly on 4 March 2025, after a pause of three months, and condemns all the acts of violence that occurred on this occasion;

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22. Amendment 22RenewMotion for a resolution · Citation 23 a (new)
    Amendment

    – having regard to the European Court of Human Rights order to Serbia of 29 April 2025 to refrain from using sonic devices for crowd control,

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23. Amendment 23RenewMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 11 a (new)
    Amendment

    11a. Urges the European People’s Party (EPP) to freeze the associate member status of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) in view of the ruling party’s role in the rollback of Serbian democracy, its close ties with Russia, and President Vucic’s vow to join Vladimir Putin and many other dictators at the 9 May 2025 event celebrating the army that is killing Ukrainians and threatening EU Member States;

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24. Amendment 24RenewMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 26 a (new)
    Amendment

    26a. Deplores the continuing violence against students, including the recent incident at the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education building in Novi Sad, in which at least five people were injured as a result of the police storming the building accompanied by the Dean, Patrik Drid;

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25. Amendment 25RenewMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 28 a (new)
    Amendment

    28a. Deplores the alleged illegal wiretapping and detention of five activists from the opposition Movement of Free Citizens (PSG) and a student from the STAV organisation in March 2025, and the arrest warrants issued for other STAV activists; condemns the use of the case by the propaganda media and the unfounded extension of the detention; calls on the Serbian authorities to release Marija Vasić, Lazar Dinić, Mladen Cvijetić, Lado Jovović, Srđan Đurić and Davor Stefanović from detention.

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26. Amendment 26RenewMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 33 a (new)
    Amendment

    33a. Condemns the political pressure exerted on universities and other research institutions through a hasty government decree that interferes with the academic freedom of researchers and cuts their salaries; condemns the vilification of professors, researchers and other academic staff in pro-government media; deplores the increasing use of temporary contracts for teachers and other civil servants as a political tool to exert pressure and control;

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27. Amendment 27RenewMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 38 a (new)
    Amendment

    38a. Deeply deplores the demographic decline in Serbia, which is being exacerbated by negative net migration due to economic hardship and political persecution; stresses that it is mainly young, educated and productive people who are being forced to leave the country, as well as those pressured and threatened on account of their political views, including Dijana Hrka, the mother of one of the victims of the Novi Sad railway station tragedy, who fears for her safety after being put under pressure by SNS supporters;

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