Brussels — 29.10.2025
Serbia is heading toward its most severe European Commission (EC) assessment to date, as Brussels prepares to publish a damning enlargement report on November 4. According to reliable diplomatic sources in the EU, the upcoming report will sharply criticize the Serbian government’s backsliding on democracy, human rights, and media freedom, exposing what EU officials describe as “reform illusions” and deliberate manipulation of statistics to mask the regime’s stagnation.
The move follows the European Parliament’s recent resolution, which contained the harshest evaluations of Serbia’s democratic standards since the beginning of accession negotiations.
Democratic decline and media control
Sources within the European Commission confirm that the report will highlight serious deterioration in the functioning of democratic institutions, lack of judicial independence, and continued political pressure on the media.
Brussels acknowledges certain formal developments — such as steps toward forming a new REM (Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media), the adoption of new media laws, and efforts to revise the voter registry yet dismisses them as superficial.
“Progress exists only when reforms are fully implemented — not when they are staged for optics,” one EU official told N1.
Failed alignment with EU foreign policy
The report will also emphasize Serbia’s poor alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, particularly its refusal to join sanctions against Russia. While the government in Belgrade has attempted to inflate its compliance percentage by adopting EU decisions unrelated to Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine, Brussels has made clear that “these tricks will not pass.”
“Sitting on two chairs is no longer possible,” one EU diplomat stated. “Serbia must finally decide whether its strategic path lies with the European Union or with Moscow.”
Cluster 3 blocked — Serbia fails its own promises
In a significant departure from previous years, the European Commission will not propose the opening of Cluster 3 which covers competitiveness and inclusive growth — marking a major diplomatic setback for Belgrade.
While the report will acknowledge that Serbia is “technically ready” for the opening, it will withhold any recommendation to the European Council, effectively freezing progress in the negotiation process.
The decision stems directly from Serbia’s own failures, EU officials confirm. Late last year, Belgrade submitted a “non-paper” to member states, listing a series of reforms it pledged to complete before the cluster’s opening. However, Brussels found that less than half of those commitments were fulfilled, confirming what many European policymakers now call a “pattern of deliberate deception.”
A decisive moment for Serbia’s credibility
According to N1’s EU correspondent, the tone of the 2025 Enlargement Report will be “significantly harsher” than in previous years, reflecting growing frustration within EU institutions over Serbia’s double game one that publicly invokes European integration while deepening ties with Russia and undermining democratic norms at home.
The report, expected on November 4, will likely send an unmistakable message to Belgrade: the era of rhetorical reforms and political manipulation is over. Without genuine progress on democracy, rule of law, and alignment with EU foreign policy, Serbia’s European path is at risk of complete paralysis.
