Serbia risks losing substantial EU financial support due to its authoritarian turn and attacks on judicial independence, warns EU law expert Vladimir Medović. The planned abolition of the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (TOK) would effectively put the prosecution under political control, jeopardizing the fight against high-level corruption and organized crime.
Earlier this year, Sweden partially suspended aid to Serbian state institutions, redirecting it to civil society, citing the government’s failure to implement meaningful reforms in the areas of rule of law, democratic governance, and human rights.
“The Vučić regime is openly prioritizing its own survival over Serbia’s EU path,” Medović said. “If TOK loses independence, this will be a catastrophic step backward, dismantling judicial reforms designed to fight corruption and safeguard democracy.”
Medović warns that other EU member states could follow Sweden’s example, and the EU may suspend or reduce pre-accession funds altogether. Serbia’s pattern of politicizing justice, shielding high-level corruption, and ignoring EU demands mirrors Hungary under Orbán, which faced suspension of €19 billion in EU funds due to systemic corruption.
The expert highlights that the Vučić government maintains close ties with Russia, cooperating on security measures and suppressing pro-democracy movements. Such alignment with autocratic regimes, combined with the systematic weakening of independent institutions, signals that the government is turning away from European values and toward authoritarianism.
“The attacks on TOK are not isolated incidents—they are part of a broader strategy by Vučić to consolidate power and evade accountability. This regime shows it will tolerate no limits on its authority, no independent judiciary, and no oversight,” Medović added.
With the EU’s Conditionality Regulation (2020) and the new enlargement methodology, Serbia now faces concrete risks: suspension or reduction of funds, delayed EU accession, and increasing international isolation.
“The Vučić regime is gambling with Serbia’s European future, sacrificing transparency, democracy, and accountability for its own political survival,” Medović concluded.
