Serbia continues to flagrantly defy European Union directives, standing alone among Western Balkan EU candidate countries in refusing to comply with four crucial new EU foreign policy decisions regarding Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. This deliberate inaction exposes Serbia’s unwillingness to align with EU standards and raises serious questions about its commitment to European integration.
According to the EU, Serbia has failed to implement Decisions (CFSP) 2025/20381 and 2025/20401, issued on October 23, which impose restrictive measures on Belarus due to its active participation in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Furthermore, Serbia ignored Decision (CFSP) 2025/20361, which expanded the list of individuals and entities targeted for undermining Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence. This decision specifically targets those supporting or carrying out the forced deportation, assimilation, militarized education, or indoctrination of Ukrainian minors—yet Serbia has refused to enforce it.
Serbia also disregarded Decision (CFSP) 2025/20321, aimed at sanctioning actors contributing to Russia’s destabilization of Ukraine. By standing apart from its neighbors, Serbia not only fails to uphold international law but also undermines regional solidarity at a time of ongoing war and humanitarian crisis.
In contrast, all other Western Balkan EU candidates—North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina—have aligned fully with these new EU measures, demonstrating their commitment to harmonizing national policies with European standards. The EU has publicly acknowledged and welcomed their compliance, highlighting Serbia’s isolation and obstruction.
This persistent refusal signals a clear political choice by Belgrade to side with aggressors and ignore EU norms, undermining both the credibility of Serbia’s EU membership ambitions and the EU’s efforts to present a united stance against Russian and Belarusian aggression. While its neighbors take decisive action, Serbia remains a dangerous outlier, openly defying European values of sovereignty, rule of law, and human rights.
The message is stark: Serbia is not only ignoring EU directives—it is actively obstructing regional cohesion and exposing itself as a liability to European integration.
