Minister of European Integration Tanja Miščević and Jiří Plecitý, Head of the Department for Montenegro and Serbia in the EC Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, co-chaired the tenth annual Stabilisation and Association Committee between the EU and Serbia, held today in Belgrade. This Committee is the highest joint administrative and technical body of the European Union and Serbia, established by the Stabilisation and Association Agreement to monitor its implementation and Serbia’s EU accession negotiations.
On the Serbian side, the participants included representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Serbian Government institutions, including relevant ministries and Government offices, independent and regulatory bodies, the National Bank of Serbia, and representatives of the judiciary, including members of the High Judicial Council and the High Prosecutorial Council.
The meeting reviewed all the recommendations from the European Commission’s Report on Serbia for 2024 and the progress made in addressing them since the report’s publication. The meeting also focused on the beginning of the implementation of Serbia’s Reform Agenda, a comprehensive document comprising 98 reform steps to which the country has committed to further accelerate its accession to the European Union. In particular, discussions were held on the activities being undertaken by the Government to meet all criteria for EU membership by 2026.
It was noted that the European Commission has reiterated its assessment this year that Serbia has met the benchmarks for opening Cluster 3 (Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth) and continues working on opening other clusters, improving the rule of law and fundamental rights, normalising relations with Priština, and strengthening regional cooperation. The importance of further alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy was also highlighted. The meeting also addressed progress in meeting economic criteria and implementing EU pre-accession funds, specifically IPA 3, through which Serbia received EUR 4 billion in EU support from 2014 to 2023. Discussions were also held regarding preparations for utilising EUR 1.6 billion allocated to Serbia from the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and the ratification process of the two agreements – the Financial Instrument and the loan under the Growth Plan.
