Serbia’s 11-year EU accession journey has been defined by stagnation and setbacks. Brussels takes no notice of the Balkan country's progress and is perpetually changing the goalposts. In the meantime, the pro-war EU leadership is pushing to grant Ukraine membership at an accelerated pace. These double standards are a slap in the face to Serbs and other Western Balkan nations who have been working hard to meet often less than objective new criteria.
According to the European Council website, the Balkan country applied for EU membership in December 2009. Serbia was granted EU candidate status in March 2012. Accession negotiations officially started in January 2014. So far, a total of only 22 negotiating chapters have been opened.
Brussels Has Kept Serbia Waiting for Over a Decade
Serbia began negotiations for joining the European Union more than eleven years ago. The current state of progress is as follows: 22 negotiation chapters have been opened of the 35, and only two have been provisionally closed.
Although the president and government had suggested that by the end of 2024, the member states will likely give the green light to opening a new third cluster—meaning three more chapters could be opened—this has not materialized. Brussels did not approve the move.
Yet Belgrade is doing everything it can; EU membership remains a strategic objective for the country. Over the past year, for instance, Serbia adopted a reform agenda for implementing the EU’s Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. The government has also been working toward aligning with specific EU policies, such as joining the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). However, the main goal—opening new chapters—has not been achieved, even after three years of a standstill.
In the past five years, Serbia has only managed to open one negotiating cluster—in December 2021—which resulted in the opening of four new chapters. According to Brussels, the main obstacles on Serbia’s path are the state of the rule of law and the lack of alignment with the EU’s common foreign policy. These are the reasons cited by member state governments for keeping the "barriers" in place.
One major sticking point: Serbia did not join in the sanctions against Moscow after the outbreak of the Russia–Ukraine war.
Meanwhile, Montenegro, which began negotiations two years before Serbia, had opened all negotiation chapters by 2020 and has recently begun closing them.
President Aleksandar Vucic recently set an ambitious target: by the end of 2026, Serbia would fully harmonize its legislation with EU laws. To achieve this, however, the entire process would need to speed up significantly compared to the last eleven years.
But Belgrade’s intentions alone are not enough; without the approval of the Brussels elite, the country cannot move forward. While Ukraine—plagued by corruption—is continuously praised by EU leaders, including pro-war figures like Manfred Weber and Ursula von der Leyen, Serbia mostly receives criticism
Brussels Would Give Everything for Ukraine
As Magyar Nemzet has previously reported, supporting Ukraine and continuing the Russia–Ukraine war is Brussels's top priority.
Manfred Weber has repeatedly stated that Ukraine’s fast-tracked EU accession comes above all else, even if Kyiv’s membership poses serious risks to the EU. Ursula von der Leyen, the pro-war President of the European Commission, shares a similar view. She stated:
We must continue to stand by Ukraine, provide more military and financial support, increase pressure on Russia, and yes, we must clearly show Ukraine the path toward joining the European Union.
The Hungarian government wrote the following on social media regarding Ukraine’s EU accession:
Brussels has decided: even more weapons and money must be sent to Ukraine, and they must be granted fast-tracked EU membership. Let’s not allow decisions to be made over our heads!
A video attached to the post read that the European People’s Party (EPP), which includes the Tisza Party, had decided in favor of Ukraine’s fast-tracked accession and more financial aid.
Only Promises Remain for Serbia
In its analysis published last year on ten years of Serbia’s EU accession talks, the Center for Contemporary Politics (CSP) recalled Serbia’s 2011 candidate opinion, when the European Commission assessed that the accession criteria could be fulfilled in the medium term.
At the time, it was estimated that Serbia could meet all requirements and join the EU within five years.
Afterwards, in 2018, Jean-Claude Juncker, then president of the European Commission, published an enlargement strategy which stated that, under an optimistic scenario—assuming full preparedness for membership—Montenegro and Serbia could both join the EU in 2025.
However, that ambition was quickly abandoned.
Instead of accelerating reform and advancing toward the EU, the process slowed down, as various data presented in the CSP report indicate. This is backed not only by European Commission reports but also by internal Serbian government documents.
Assessments in the European Commission's reports show that Serbia’s overall preparedness for EU membership has not significantly improved over the past eleven years. These reports, the most important documents assessing the quality of the reform process, have consistently shown only modest progress. At the beginning of the process, Serbia's preparedness was rated at 2.91 on a scale from 1 to 5; the latest report gives a score of 3.11.
In other words, EU leaders deem Serbia’s efforts insufficient. Meanwhile, Ursula von der Leyen insists Ukraine could join the EU before 2030.
The current situation suggests that Serbia needs to make significant efforts and accelerate its reforms if it wants to move closer to EU membership. The question is, however, what would be enough for Brussels, which is constantly imposing a growing number of expectations on the Balkan country.
Brussels Welcomes Wartime Ukraine with Open Arms, but Is Cautious Regarding the Balkans
The slow pace of the EU accession process is not just the result of Serbia’s internal challenges—it also reflects shifts in the EU’s enlargement policy and internal difficulties. Over the past decade, the EU has faced numerous crises, including economic struggles, migration challenges, and the uncertainty caused by Brexit. These factors have made the EU more cautious about further enlargement—at least when it comes to the Balkan states.
This caution, however, is not evident when Brussels seeks to fast-track a wartime country into the EU.
The Serbian public’s attitude toward EU membership is also a key factor. While surveys show that a majority of Serbs still support joining the EU, Euroskepticism has been on the rise in recent years. This is largely due to frustration over being strung along and treated unfairly. Other reasons include the prolonged accession process and unresolved issues with Kosovo.
Normalizing relations with Kosovo remains a crucial prerequisite for Serbia’s EU accession. While there has been progress in dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, a final agreement is still pending.
The EU has made clear that resolving relations with Kosovo is a condition for Serbia to become a full member.
Cover Photo: Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission (Photo: AFP)
