The Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Serbia, Andreas von Beckerath, stated in Belgrade that Serbia’s absence from the EU–Western Balkans summit is not a positive sign and that all issues must be discussed, as the EU enlargement process is fundamentally based on dialogue.
Von Beckerath made these remarks during the panel discussion “From Denmark to Cyprus: How to Make the EU Ready for Enlargement”, emphasizing that the European Commission’s 2025 report on Serbia highlights regression in the area of the rule of law.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić did not attend the summit held on Wednesday in Brussels, arguing that the decision was intended to protect Serbia’s national interests, while reiterating that EU membership remains a strategic goal for the country.
However, von Beckerath stressed that the rule of law, judicial independence, prosecutorial autonomy, and the fight against corruption are decisive for Serbia. He added that creating a favorable environment for the work of civil society organizations is essential, as they play a significant role in the enlargement process.
“Civil society organizations contribute to the quality of the EU accession process, even though some media and senior officials often accuse them of sabotaging it. I would say that this is somewhat strange,” von Beckerath stated, adding that the accession process must be inclusive and involve the political opposition and other societal actors as well.
Speaking about Serbia’s European integration, he noted that while much attention is given to “Cluster 3,” an extremely important element is the diversification of energy sources. Von Beckerath added that the EU has shown readiness to assist Serbia in reducing its energy dependence on Russia, which he described as an unreliable supplier.
EU member states have underlined that further progress by Serbia in the rule of law and in the normalization of relations with Kosovo is necessary for the opening of negotiating Cluster 3. The decision to open the cluster was postponed due to a lack of consensus among member states.
The last negotiating cluster Serbia opened was in December 2021, and although authorities in Belgrade claim that the conditions for opening Cluster 3 have been met, Serbia has not opened any new chapters in its EU accession talks for nearly four years.
