Eight member states oppose the opening of Serbia's next EU accession cluster

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

66% : 'Double standards' Serbia formally applied for EU membership in 2009 and was granted official EU candidate status in 2012.
60% : "We have to consider all the remarks, all the demands from the European Union," Vučić said at the time, adding: "Serbia is very much committed to its EU path and will take it in a very serious and responsible way."
57% : Eight out of 27 member states opposed opening another round of accession talks with Serbia at a meeting attended by European Union ambassadors in Brussels on Wednesday, three EU diplomats confirmed to Euronews.
55% : A European Commission spokesperson told Euronews on Monday that a document explaining why the EU executive believes "recent steps" taken by the Serbian authorities justify the opening of Cluster 3 had been shared with EU countries that day.
54% : " 'All the demands from the European Union' Also on Wednesday, Members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg voted overwhelmingly in support of Serbia's 2025 enlargement report, with 468 votes in favour, 116 against and 79 abstentions.
50% : "While the European Union is experiencing renewed momentum for enlargement with neighbouring Montenegro and Albania advancing their accession negotiations, Serbia's EU-related reforms have largely stalled in several key areas, most notably in the rule of law and democratic standards," he said.
48% : Croatian MEP Tonino Picula (Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats), the report's rapporteur, said in a press conference following the vote that the situation in the country has been "deteriorating" over the past few years.
45% : Serbia's former Prime Minister Ana Brnabić has railed against claims that her country is pro-Russian, telling Euronews that Serbia has backed Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion while decrying what she described as EU accession "double standards".
43% : Serbia has implemented substantial elements of the commitments it made to address member states' concerns, including repealing controversial amendments to judicial laws alongside progress on media freedom, the electoral framework and cooperation with the EU on foreign and security policy, according to the document seen by Euronews. While Serbia has yet to align with EU sanctions against Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Commission noted that Belgrade has cooperated with the bloc to counter sanctions circumvention, provided substantial support to Ukraine and intensified high-level political contacts with Kyiv.
40% : Various senior EU officials have publicly endorsed opening Cluster 3, particularly after Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić reversed controversial judicial amendments in June after the Venice Commission recommended changes.
38% : 'Positive developments' One EU diplomat speaking to Euronews on condition of anonymity stated that the general opposition by the eight was centred on Serbia's "problematic" rule of law issues and "non-alignment with sanctions".

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