BETA


2022/2204(INI) 2022 Commission Report on Serbia

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead AFET BILČÍK Vladimír (icon: EPP EPP) PAPADAKIS Demetris (icon: S&D S&D), GROŠELJ Klemen (icon: Renew Renew), VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL Viola (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), VILIMSKY Harald (icon: ID ID), KRASNODĘBSKI Zdzisław (icon: ECR ECR), MAUREL Emmanuel (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL)
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54

Events

2023/05/10
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2023/05/10
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 508 votes to 76, with 37 abstentions, a resolution on the 2022 Commission report on Serbia.

Commitment to EU membership

Parliament welcomed the fact that EU membership remains a strategic goal for Serbia. It stressed that progress on the rule of law and fundamental rights, on the functioning of democratic institutions, on commitment to shared European rights and values, and on normalisation and healing of relations with Kosovo will determine the dynamics of the accession process.

Members regretted Serbia's weak alignment with the CFSP. Pointing out that Serbia is one of the very few European countries not to associate itself with EU sanctions against Russia, they called on the competent authorities to demonstrate an unambiguous commitment to international law and EU values and to align themselves with the EU's restrictive measures against Russia. As a candidate country, Serbia must respect the principles and policies of the Union and end any alignment with a warmongering autocratic regime.

Parliament recalled that the EU accession process is essentially based on the genuine will of the candidate country to respect the values and principles of the Union. It is concerned about the recent downward trend in public support for EU membership in Serbia, which has reached its lowest level, and the growing support for the Russian regime.

The EU is Serbia's main political and economic partner and by far its biggest donor. Members called on the EU to reconsider the extent of its financial assistance to Serbia, if the latter continues to support undemocratic regimes and does not adhere to the EU's restrictive measures and the CFSP. They called on Serbia's political leaders to communicate clearly and unambiguously about Serbia's European orientation and its close relationship with the Union.

Democracy and the rule of law

Parliament welcomed the steps taken by Serbia to align itself with the EU list of third countries whose nationals require a visa to travel to the EU and called on it to continue this alignment immediately, in particular with third countries posing irregular migration or security risks to the EU. It welcomed Serbia's good cooperation with the EU on managing irregular migration.

Members noted that the laws on the judiciary still allow the executive to exert undue influence on its work, while the views of civil society may not have been sufficiently taken into account. They called on Serbian state institutions to make it a priority to strengthen the guarantees of independence and efficiency of the judiciary.

Parliament noted the conclusions of the final report of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe / Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights election observation mission, according to which the 3 April 2022 parliamentary elections presented diverse political options, but a number of shortcomings resulted in an uneven playing field, favouring the incumbents. It called on the Serbian authorities to fully implement outstanding OSCE recommendations, in particular those concerning access to the media for individual candidates, improved transparency and accountability of campaign financing. It reiterated his call on Serbia to present convincing results in corruption cases in which the public has a strong interest.

Fundamental freedoms and human rights

Respect for human rights is an essential element of democracy and progress on the European path. The Serbian authorities are called upon to step up their efforts to protect and promote human rights, especially with regard to certain vulnerable groups, including by strengthening human rights institutions and by investigating and prosecuting human rights violations.

Parliament deplored the further deterioration of freedom of expression, cases of hate speech and defamation campaigns and the increasing number of strategic litigation against public participation (SLAPPs) in the country. It reiterated that the state of freedom of expression and media independence remains a serious concern that must be addressed as a matter of utmost priority.

Concerned about the spread of disinformation about the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Parliament called on the Serbian authorities to take a firm stand against disinformation. It called on the Serbian authorities to monitor the situation and prevent Serbian citizens from joining the Wagner group and participating in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

Serbia is called upon to ensure respect for the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, including access to education, information and religious services in minority languages, as well as appropriate representation in public administration. Members stressed the importance of further combating discrimination and gender-based violence and condemned the fact that women with disabilities living in institutions still face specific forms of violence.

Reconciliation and good neighbourly relations

Parliament reaffirmed that good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation remain essential elements of the enlargement process. It encouraged Serbia to intensify its reconciliation efforts and to adopt and implement measures that would actively contribute to resolving outstanding bilateral issues. It strongly condemned the widespread denial of international war crimes verdicts and stressed that there was no place for genocide denial. It stressed the importance of regional cooperation on war crimes and disappearances.

Members reaffirmed their full support for the EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajčák. They called on Serbia and Kosovo to conduct this dialogue without further delay in good faith and in a spirit of compromise, in order to reach a comprehensive and legally binding agreement on the normalisation of their relations, based on the principle of mutual recognition, in accordance with international law.

Socio-economic reforms

Despite Serbia's progress in establishing a functioning market economy, Parliament stressed that the country's economy is hampered by long-standing structural problems, including weaknesses in the rule of law. It reiterated that reforms in these fundamental areas and efforts to fight corruption remain essential for economic development. It stressed the need to respect environmental, social and labour standards for all investments and called on Serbia to better harmonise its labour law with that of the EU.

Members deplored the fact that foreign actors, especially Chinese companies, have been able to benefit from lower social and environmental standards. They called for the necessary safeguards to be put in place to prevent Chinese companies from circumventing fair competition rules and environmental and labour standards.

Parliament reiterated its concern that several places in Serbia are often on the list of the world's most polluted areas in terms of air quality. It urged the authorities to take swift action to improve air quality, especially in large cities and industrial areas. It called on the government to continue to align with the EU acquis on water quality and nature protection.

Documents
2023/05/09
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2023/05/03
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
Documents
2023/05/03
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Documents
2023/04/26
   EP - Vote in committee
2023/02/16
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2023/02/16
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2023/01/19
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2023/01/18
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2022/11/08
   EP - BILČÍK Vladimír (EPP) appointed as rapporteur in AFET

Documents

Activities

Votes

Rapport 2022 de la Commission concernant la Serbie - A9-0172/2023 - Vladimír Bilčík - § 7 - Am 7/rev #

2023/05/10 Outcome: +: 561, 0: 37, -: 27
DE IT ES PL FR RO SE NL CZ PT BE BG AT DK FI IE HR SK LT LV HU EL SI EE MT LU CY
Total
89
60
52
48
74
29
21
27
21
17
17
14
17
13
12
12
12
13
10
8
18
10
8
7
5
5
6
icon: PPE PPE
159

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Hungary PPE

1

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Malta PPE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE

2

Cyprus PPE

2
icon: S&D S&D
134

Czechia S&D

For (1)

1

Belgium S&D

2

Finland S&D

1

Lithuania S&D

2

Latvia S&D

2

Greece S&D

1

Slovenia S&D

2

Estonia S&D

2

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

2
icon: Renew Renew
90

Italy Renew

2

Poland Renew

1
3

Austria Renew

For (1)

1

Finland Renew

2

Ireland Renew

2

Croatia Renew

For (1)

1

Lithuania Renew

1

Latvia Renew

For (1)

1

Hungary Renew

1

Slovenia Renew

2

Estonia Renew

3

Luxembourg Renew

2
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
69

Italy Verts/ALE

3

Poland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Romania Verts/ALE

1

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Czechia Verts/ALE

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

3

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

1

Finland Verts/ALE

3

Ireland Verts/ALE

2

Lithuania Verts/ALE

2
icon: ECR ECR
55

Germany ECR

1

Belgium ECR

2

Bulgaria ECR

1

Croatia ECR

1

Slovakia ECR

For (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1
icon: The Left The Left
31

Sweden The Left

For (1)

1

Netherlands The Left

For (1)

1

Czechia The Left

1

Portugal The Left

2

Belgium The Left

For (1)

1

Denmark The Left

1

Finland The Left

For (1)

1

Ireland The Left

3

Cyprus The Left

2
icon: NI NI
35

France NI

3

Netherlands NI

Against (1)

1

Croatia NI

2

Slovakia NI

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Latvia NI

1
icon: ID ID
52

Czechia ID

Against (2)

2

Austria ID

3

Denmark ID

For (1)

1

Estonia ID

Abstain (1)

1

A9-0172/2023 - Vladimír Bilčík - § 18 - Am 8/rev #

2023/05/10 Outcome: +: 548, 0: 58, -: 24
DE ES FR PL IT RO NL SE CZ PT BE AT FI BG IE DK SK HR LT LV EL SI CY EE MT LU HU
Total
90
52
74
49
59
29
27
21
21
19
18
17
13
14
12
13
13
12
10
8
10
8
6
7
5
5
18
icon: PPE PPE
160

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Cyprus PPE

2

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Malta PPE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE

2

Hungary PPE

Abstain (1)

1
icon: S&D S&D
135

Czechia S&D

For (1)

1

Belgium S&D

2

Lithuania S&D

2

Latvia S&D

2

Greece S&D

1

Slovenia S&D

2

Cyprus S&D

2

Estonia S&D

2

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1
icon: Renew Renew
91

Poland Renew

1

Italy Renew

2
3

Austria Renew

For (1)

1

Finland Renew

2

Ireland Renew

2

Croatia Renew

For (1)

1

Lithuania Renew

1

Latvia Renew

For (1)

1

Slovenia Renew

2

Estonia Renew

3

Luxembourg Renew

2

Hungary Renew

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
69

Poland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Italy Verts/ALE

3

Romania Verts/ALE

1

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Czechia Verts/ALE

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

3

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Finland Verts/ALE

3

Ireland Verts/ALE

2

Denmark Verts/ALE

1

Lithuania Verts/ALE

2
icon: ECR ECR
56

Germany ECR

1

Netherlands ECR

4

Bulgaria ECR

1

Slovakia ECR

For (1)

1

Croatia ECR

1

Lithuania ECR

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1
icon: The Left The Left
33

Netherlands The Left

For (1)

1

Sweden The Left

For (1)

1

Czechia The Left

1

Portugal The Left

4

Belgium The Left

For (1)

1

Finland The Left

For (1)

1

Ireland The Left

3

Denmark The Left

1

Cyprus The Left

2
icon: NI NI
35

France NI

Abstain (1)

3

Netherlands NI

Against (1)

1

Slovakia NI

2

Croatia NI

2

Latvia NI

1
icon: ID ID
51

Czechia ID

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Austria ID

3

Denmark ID

Abstain (1)

1

Estonia ID

Abstain (1)

1

A9-0172/2023 - Vladimír Bilčík - § 40 - Am 9/rev #

2023/05/10 Outcome: +: 356, -: 244, 0: 27
ES PL DK NL SE CZ RO FI FR BE PT IT MT LT EE DE HR SI LV LU BG EL SK AT CY HU IE
Total
52
48
13
28
21
21
29
13
73
18
19
59
5
9
7
91
12
8
7
5
14
10
12
17
6
18
12
icon: S&D S&D
133

Czechia S&D

For (1)

1

Belgium S&D

2
4

Lithuania S&D

2

Estonia S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

2

Latvia S&D

2

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Greece S&D

1

Slovakia S&D

2

Cyprus S&D

2
icon: Renew Renew
90

Poland Renew

1
3

Finland Renew

2

Italy Renew

2

Lithuania Renew

1

Estonia Renew

3

Croatia Renew

For (1)

1

Slovenia Renew

2

Latvia Renew

For (1)

1

Luxembourg Renew

2

Austria Renew

For (1)

1

Hungary Renew

1

Ireland Renew

2
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
69

Poland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

1

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Czechia Verts/ALE

3

Romania Verts/ALE

1

Finland Verts/ALE

3

Belgium Verts/ALE

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

1

Italy Verts/ALE

3

Lithuania Verts/ALE

2

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Ireland Verts/ALE

2
icon: ECR ECR
56

Netherlands ECR

Against (1)

5

Sweden ECR

Abstain (1)

3

Finland ECR

2

Lithuania ECR

1

Germany ECR

1

Croatia ECR

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1

Bulgaria ECR

1

Slovakia ECR

For (1)

1
icon: NI NI
34

Netherlands NI

Against (1)

1

France NI

Against (1)

3

Germany NI

Abstain (1)

3

Croatia NI

2

Slovakia NI

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

2
icon: The Left The Left
33

Denmark The Left

1

Netherlands The Left

For (1)

1

Sweden The Left

For (1)

1

Czechia The Left

Against (1)

1

Finland The Left

For (1)

1

Belgium The Left

Against (1)

1

Portugal The Left

For (1)

4

Cyprus The Left

2

Ireland The Left

3
icon: ID ID
52

Denmark ID

For (1)

1

Czechia ID

Against (2)

2

Belgium ID

Abstain (1)

3

Estonia ID

Against (1)

1

Austria ID

3
icon: PPE PPE
160

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Finland PPE

For (1)

3

Malta PPE

For (1)

1

Lithuania PPE

3

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

Slovenia PPE

For (1)

4

Latvia PPE

3

Luxembourg PPE

2

Cyprus PPE

2

Hungary PPE

Against (1)

1

A9-0172/2023 - Vladimír Bilčík - § 44 - Am 10/rev #

2023/05/10 Outcome: +: 335, -: 211, 0: 78
DE SE ES NL DK FI FR CZ RO IT EE BE PT BG SI MT IE LT HR LU CY EL AT LV SK PL HU
Total
91
21
51
28
13
13
71
21
29
60
7
17
19
14
8
5
11
10
12
5
6
10
17
7
13
47
18
icon: S&D S&D
133

Czechia S&D

For (1)

1

Estonia S&D

2

Belgium S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

2
4

Lithuania S&D

2

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

2

Greece S&D

1

Latvia S&D

For (1)

1

Slovakia S&D

Against (1)

3
icon: Renew Renew
89
3

Finland Renew

2

Italy Renew

2

Estonia Renew

3

Slovenia Renew

2

Ireland Renew

2

Lithuania Renew

1

Croatia Renew

For (1)

1

Luxembourg Renew

2

Austria Renew

For (1)

1

Latvia Renew

For (1)

1

Poland Renew

1

Hungary Renew

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
68

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

1

Finland Verts/ALE

3

Czechia Verts/ALE

3

Romania Verts/ALE

1

Italy Verts/ALE

3

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Portugal Verts/ALE

1

Ireland Verts/ALE

2

Lithuania Verts/ALE

2

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Poland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
56

Germany ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Sweden ECR

Abstain (1)

3

Netherlands ECR

Against (1)

5

Bulgaria ECR

1

Lithuania ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Croatia ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Latvia ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Slovakia ECR

Abstain (1)

1
icon: The Left The Left
31

Sweden The Left

For (1)

1

Netherlands The Left

Abstain (1)

1

Denmark The Left

1

Finland The Left

For (1)

1

France The Left

For (1)

5

Czechia The Left

Against (1)

1

Belgium The Left

Against (1)

1

Portugal The Left

4

Ireland The Left

For (1)

3

Cyprus The Left

2
icon: NI NI
35
3

Netherlands NI

Against (1)

1

France NI

3

Croatia NI

2

Latvia NI

Abstain (1)

1

Slovakia NI

2
icon: ID ID
52

Denmark ID

Abstain (1)

1

Czechia ID

Against (2)

2

Estonia ID

Abstain (1)

1

Austria ID

3
icon: PPE PPE
160

Denmark PPE

Against (1)

1

Finland PPE

For (1)

3

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

Slovenia PPE

For (1)

4

Malta PPE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE

2

Cyprus PPE

2

Latvia PPE

3

Slovakia PPE

Abstain (1)

4

Hungary PPE

Against (1)

1

A9-0172/2023 - Vladimír Bilčík - § 49 - Am 11/rev #

2023/05/10 Outcome: +: 323, -: 283, 0: 18
ES SE NL DK FR FI DE RO BE EE SI MT BG LU PT LT HR AT LV CY SK EL IT HU IE CZ PL
Total
51
21
28
13
72
13
90
29
18
7
8
5
13
5
19
10
11
17
8
6
13
9
60
18
12
20
48
icon: S&D S&D
134

Belgium S&D

2

Estonia S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

2
4

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Lithuania S&D

2

Latvia S&D

2

Cyprus S&D

2

Slovakia S&D

Against (1)

3

Greece S&D

1

Czechia S&D

For (1)

1
icon: Renew Renew
89
3

Finland Renew

2

Estonia Renew

3

Slovenia Renew

2

Luxembourg Renew

2

Lithuania Renew

1

Croatia Renew

For (1)

1

Austria Renew

For (1)

1

Latvia Renew

For (1)

1

Italy Renew

2

Hungary Renew

1

Ireland Renew

2

Poland Renew

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
69

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

1

Finland Verts/ALE

3

Romania Verts/ALE

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

1

Lithuania Verts/ALE

2

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Italy Verts/ALE

3

Ireland Verts/ALE

2

Czechia Verts/ALE

3

Poland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1
icon: NI NI
34

Netherlands NI

Against (1)

1

France NI

3
3

Croatia NI

Abstain (1)

1

Latvia NI

Against (1)

1

Slovakia NI

2
icon: The Left The Left
31

Spain The Left

Against (1)

3

Sweden The Left

For (1)

1

Netherlands The Left

For (1)

1

Denmark The Left

1

Finland The Left

For (1)

1

Belgium The Left

Against (1)

1

Cyprus The Left

2

Greece The Left

2

Ireland The Left

3

Czechia The Left

Against (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
56

Sweden ECR

For (1)

3

Netherlands ECR

5

Germany ECR

Against (1)

1

Bulgaria ECR

Against (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

Against (1)

1

Croatia ECR

Against (1)

1

Latvia ECR

Against (1)

1

Slovakia ECR

Against (1)

1
icon: ID ID
51

Denmark ID

Against (1)

1

Estonia ID

Against (1)

1

Austria ID

3

Czechia ID

Against (2)

2
icon: PPE PPE
160

Netherlands PPE

Abstain (1)

5

Denmark PPE

Against (1)

1

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

Slovenia PPE

For (1)

4

Malta PPE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE

2

Latvia PPE

3

Cyprus PPE

2

Hungary PPE

Against (1)

1

A9-0172/2023 - Vladimír Bilčík - Proposition de résolution (ensemble du texte) #

2023/05/10 Outcome: +: 508, -: 76, 0: 37
DE IT PL ES RO SE FR NL CZ AT BG PT DK BE HR LT SI IE FI SK EL EE LV LU MT CY HU
Total
90
60
48
52
29
21
71
27
20
17
13
19
13
18
12
10
8
12
10
13
10
7
7
5
5
6
18
icon: PPE PPE
158

Netherlands PPE

Against (1)

4

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Latvia PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

2

Malta PPE

For (1)

1

Cyprus PPE

2

Hungary PPE

Abstain (1)

1
icon: S&D S&D
134

Czechia S&D

For (1)

1

Belgium S&D

2

Lithuania S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

2

Greece S&D

1

Estonia S&D

2

Latvia S&D

2

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1
4

Cyprus S&D

2
icon: Renew Renew
88

Italy Renew

2

Poland Renew

1
3

Austria Renew

For (1)

1

Croatia Renew

For (1)

1

Lithuania Renew

1

Slovenia Renew

2

Ireland Renew

2

Finland Renew

For (1)

1

Estonia Renew

3

Latvia Renew

For (1)

1

Luxembourg Renew

2

Hungary Renew

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
67

Italy Verts/ALE

3

Poland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Romania Verts/ALE

1

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Czechia Verts/ALE

3

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

3

Lithuania Verts/ALE

2

Ireland Verts/ALE

2

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
56

Germany ECR

1

Sweden ECR

For (1)

3

Netherlands ECR

Abstain (1)

5

Bulgaria ECR

1

Croatia ECR

1

Lithuania ECR

1

Finland ECR

2

Slovakia ECR

For (1)

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AmendmentsDossier
488 2022/2204(INI)
2023/02/20 AFET 488 amendments...
source: 742.515

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

docs/4
date
2023-05-10T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0192_EN.html title: T9-0192/2023
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Text adopted by Parliament, single reading
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2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Decision by Parliament
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EP
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url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0192_EN.html title: T9-0192/2023
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2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Results of vote in Parliament
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EP
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url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=59885&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
events/5
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2023-05-10T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0192_EN.html title: T9-0192/2023
events/5/summary
  • The European Parliament adopted by 508 votes to 76, with 37 abstentions, a resolution on the 2022 Commission report on Serbia.
  • Commitment to EU membership
  • Parliament welcomed the fact that EU membership remains a strategic goal for Serbia. It stressed that progress on the rule of law and fundamental rights, on the functioning of democratic institutions, on commitment to shared European rights and values, and on normalisation and healing of relations with Kosovo will determine the dynamics of the accession process.
  • Members regretted Serbia's weak alignment with the CFSP. Pointing out that Serbia is one of the very few European countries not to associate itself with EU sanctions against Russia, they called on the competent authorities to demonstrate an unambiguous commitment to international law and EU values and to align themselves with the EU's restrictive measures against Russia. As a candidate country, Serbia must respect the principles and policies of the Union and end any alignment with a warmongering autocratic regime.
  • Parliament recalled that the EU accession process is essentially based on the genuine will of the candidate country to respect the values and principles of the Union. It is concerned about the recent downward trend in public support for EU membership in Serbia, which has reached its lowest level, and the growing support for the Russian regime.
  • The EU is Serbia's main political and economic partner and by far its biggest donor. Members called on the EU to reconsider the extent of its financial assistance to Serbia, if the latter continues to support undemocratic regimes and does not adhere to the EU's restrictive measures and the CFSP. They called on Serbia's political leaders to communicate clearly and unambiguously about Serbia's European orientation and its close relationship with the Union.
  • Democracy and the rule of law
  • Parliament welcomed the steps taken by Serbia to align itself with the EU list of third countries whose nationals require a visa to travel to the EU and called on it to continue this alignment immediately, in particular with third countries posing irregular migration or security risks to the EU. It welcomed Serbia's good cooperation with the EU on managing irregular migration.
  • Members noted that the laws on the judiciary still allow the executive to exert undue influence on its work, while the views of civil society may not have been sufficiently taken into account. They called on Serbian state institutions to make it a priority to strengthen the guarantees of independence and efficiency of the judiciary.
  • Parliament noted the conclusions of the final report of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe / Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights election observation mission, according to which the 3 April 2022 parliamentary elections presented diverse political options, but a number of shortcomings resulted in an uneven playing field, favouring the incumbents. It called on the Serbian authorities to fully implement outstanding OSCE recommendations, in particular those concerning access to the media for individual candidates, improved transparency and accountability of campaign financing. It reiterated his call on Serbia to present convincing results in corruption cases in which the public has a strong interest.
  • Fundamental freedoms and human rights
  • Respect for human rights is an essential element of democracy and progress on the European path. The Serbian authorities are called upon to step up their efforts to protect and promote human rights, especially with regard to certain vulnerable groups, including by strengthening human rights institutions and by investigating and prosecuting human rights violations.
  • Parliament deplored the further deterioration of freedom of expression, cases of hate speech and defamation campaigns and the increasing number of strategic litigation against public participation (SLAPPs) in the country. It reiterated that the state of freedom of expression and media independence remains a serious concern that must be addressed as a matter of utmost priority.
  • Concerned about the spread of disinformation about the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Parliament called on the Serbian authorities to take a firm stand against disinformation. It called on the Serbian authorities to monitor the situation and prevent Serbian citizens from joining the Wagner group and participating in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
  • Serbia is called upon to ensure respect for the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, including access to education, information and religious services in minority languages, as well as appropriate representation in public administration. Members stressed the importance of further combating discrimination and gender-based violence and condemned the fact that women with disabilities living in institutions still face specific forms of violence.
  • Reconciliation and good neighbourly relations
  • Parliament reaffirmed that good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation remain essential elements of the enlargement process. It encouraged Serbia to intensify its reconciliation efforts and to adopt and implement measures that would actively contribute to resolving outstanding bilateral issues. It strongly condemned the widespread denial of international war crimes verdicts and stressed that there was no place for genocide denial. It stressed the importance of regional cooperation on war crimes and disappearances.
  • Members reaffirmed their full support for the EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajčák. They called on Serbia and Kosovo to conduct this dialogue without further delay in good faith and in a spirit of compromise, in order to reach a comprehensive and legally binding agreement on the normalisation of their relations, based on the principle of mutual recognition, in accordance with international law.
  • Socio-economic reforms
  • Despite Serbia's progress in establishing a functioning market economy, Parliament stressed that the country's economy is hampered by long-standing structural problems, including weaknesses in the rule of law. It reiterated that reforms in these fundamental areas and efforts to fight corruption remain essential for economic development. It stressed the need to respect environmental, social and labour standards for all investments and called on Serbia to better harmonise its labour law with that of the EU.
  • Members deplored the fact that foreign actors, especially Chinese companies, have been able to benefit from lower social and environmental standards. They called for the necessary safeguards to be put in place to prevent Chinese companies from circumventing fair competition rules and environmental and labour standards.
  • Parliament reiterated its concern that several places in Serbia are often on the list of the world's most polluted areas in terms of air quality. It urged the authorities to take swift action to improve air quality, especially in large cities and industrial areas. It called on the government to continue to align with the EU acquis on water quality and nature protection.
docs/4
date
2023-05-10T00:00:00
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2023-05-10T00:00:00
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EP
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procedure/stage_reached
Old
Awaiting Parliament's vote
New
Procedure completed
events/3/docs
  • url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-9-2023-05-09-TOC_EN.html title: Debate in Parliament
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2023-05-09T00:00:00
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  • date: 2023-05-09T00:00:00 title: Debate in plenary scheduled
docs/3
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2023-05-03T00:00:00
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url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2023-0172_EN.html title: A9-0172/2023
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Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
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2023-05-03T00:00:00
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Old
Awaiting committee decision
New
Awaiting Parliament's vote
events/1
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2023-04-26T00:00:00
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Vote in committee
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2023-04-26T00:00:00
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Vote scheduled in committee
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Rules of Procedure EP 159
forecasts/1
date
2023-05-09T00:00:00
title
Debate in plenary scheduled
forecasts/1
date
2023-06-12T00:00:00
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Indicative plenary sitting date
forecasts/1/date
Old
2023-05-31T00:00:00
New
2023-06-12T00:00:00
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2023-05-31T00:00:00
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Indicative plenary sitting date
docs/1
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2023-02-16T00:00:00
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Amendments tabled in committee
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docs/1
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2023-02-16T00:00:00
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title: PE739.819
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Amendments tabled in committee
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2023-02-16T00:00:00
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Amendments tabled in committee
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Amendments tabled in committee
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2023-02-16T00:00:00
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Amendments tabled in committee
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docs/2
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2023-02-16T00:00:00
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title: PE739.819
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Amendments tabled in committee
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