Overview
- Ursula von der Leyen told President Aleksandar Vučić in Belgrade that tangible advances on rule of law, electoral rules and media freedom are needed to move EU accession forward.
- She urged full foreign-policy alignment with the bloc, including adopting sanctions on Russia, noting Serbia remains the lone European outlier aside from Belarus.
- Von der Leyen cited Serbia’s 61% alignment with EU foreign policy and said greater consistency is required for the country to be treated as a reliable partner.
- Months of demonstrations that began after a fatal Novi Sad station collapse have grown into broader anti‑corruption protests, with authorities accused of using excessive force and detaining activists.
- Energy dependence weighs on decisions as Washington sanctioned oil firm NIS over its Russian ownership last week and Vučić recently reaffirmed Serbian gas purchases from Russia.