The accession of Serbia to the European Union (EU) has been on the current agenda for the future enlargement of the EU since 2012, when it became a candidate for accession. Serbia officially applied for European Union membership on 22 December 2009. Accession negotiations are currently ongoing. The latest report in October 2022 on Serbia's progress criticizes the country for a lack of reforms, issues with rule of law, issues with freedom of the press, as well as disalignment on geopolitical matters, though the country could still join the bloc by 2030.
It is one of eight current EU candidate countries, together with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Turkey and Ukraine.
History
Identification
Negotiations with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (later the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro) intensified following the election defeat and ousting of Slobodan Milošević in 2000, and the EU officially declared the Balkan states potential candidates for membership following the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Thessaloniki on 21 June 2003.
Stabilisation and Association Agreement
On 7 November 2007, Serbia initiated a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union. The SSA came into force on 1 September 2013.
Recommendation
The European Commission recommended making Serbia an official candidate on 12 October 2011. The Council also made the recommendation on 28 February 2012.
Candidacy
Serbia received full candidate status on 1 March 2012. In December 2013, the Council of the European Union approved opening negotiations for Serbia's accession.
Application
Serbia officially applied for European Union membership on 22 December 2009.
Developmental Aid
Until 2020, Serbia had been receiving €2.9bn of developmental aid from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, a funding mechanism for EU candidate countries.
Chronology of relations with the EU
Foreign Policy
Serbia refused to join Western sanctions against Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In response, the European Parliament passed a resolution that stated in part it "strongly regrets Serbia’s non-alignment with EU sanctions against Russia, which damages its EU accession process."
Serbia and Kosovo
The biggest obstacle to Serbia's accession to the EU is its strained relationship with Kosovo, which declared its independence on 17 February 2008.
The Serbian government has declared that the status of Kosovo should not be tied to the EU negotiations. In September 2012, the EU Enlargement Commissioner, Štefan Füle, denied that the European Union would insist on Serbia's recognition of Kosovo before it can join the organisation.
On 19 April 2013, the governments of Kosovo and Serbia completed the Brussels Agreement, which was hailed as a major step towards normalising relations and enabled the start of EU accession talks with Serbia.
In November 2013, Kosovo's Minister of Foreign Affairs Enver Hoxhaj suggested that the EU should approve the accession of Kosovo and Serbia simultaneously due to concerns that if Serbia was admitted first they could veto Kosovo's membership. However, Serbia's accession negotiations were not halted.
In March 2021, the European Parliament adopted a report on Serbia, which, amongst other things, emphasized that the normalization of relationships between Serbia and Kosovo is "a priority and a requirement for EU accession."
Negotiations
Public opinion
Serbs used to be pro-EU in the past due to better relationships with countries in the European Union, as well as for economical reasons. However, in the last decades because of the support of Kosovo's independence by most European countries, the economic crisis, the better relationships with the United States in addition to giving sanctions against Russia during the Russian invasion in Ukraine, support for EU membership went down. At present, more Serbs have become more opposed to the Western NATO bloc and prefer better ties and relationships with, for example, Russia for its shared Eastern Orthodox Christian Slavic traditions and China with its large economy and similar soft alliance with Russia.
A 2023 NSPM poll released in July recorded that 46.7% were against joining the EU, compared to 43.7%. The rest did not answer or refused to give the answer. Another poll recorded the question "If recognizing the independence of Kosovo were a condition of joining the EU, do you think that condition should be accepted?", 77% answered no, compared to only 12.7% who said yes.