MARTA KOS STATED: European Union examining financial aid to Serbia due to state of judiciary and media!

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stated today in Brussels that the European Union (EU) is increasingly concerned about what is happening in Serbia and that Brussels is examining whether that country still meets the conditions for payments under the Union’s financial instruments.

At a session of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), which reports on the state of the EU enlargement process and the prospects for the next six months, Kos said that the EU expects the Serbian authorities to align judicial laws with the recommendations of the Venice Commission and to enable media independence.

“We are increasingly concerned about developments in Serbia. I share the concerns of MEPs from the Greens and Renew Europe groups regarding laws that undermine the independence of the judiciary, the repression of protesters, and the interference in the work of independent media,” Kos said.

“We expect alignment of judicial laws”

Kos, who gave positive assessments of the progress of most countries on the European path while primarily speaking about problems regarding Serbia and Georgia, also stated that the EU wants to see constant progress in Serbia’s alignment with the EU’s foreign and security policy.

“We are currently assessing whether Serbia still meets the conditions for payments under EU financial instruments. We will continue to support Serbia on its path toward the EU, but we expect the Serbian authorities to align judicial laws with the recommendations of the Venice Commission and to restore media independence, including through reforms of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media,” Kos added.

Kos said that 2025 was a good year for EU enlargement, stating that candidate countries for membership achieved “more than in the previous 15 years combined.”

“Montenegro is progressing”

Regarding Montenegro, she said that it continues to progress in negotiations and has closed 14 chapters—more than a third.

“I recently told them in Podgorica to focus on the quality of reforms and the fundamentals. I pointed out that two laws—on internal affairs and on security—should not only be aligned with EU laws but also gain support in Montenegrin society. We will carefully monitor how they are implemented,” she stated.

Kos pointed out that Albania opened all six clusters in one year, while regarding Kosovo, she stated that after the lifting of punitive measures against Pristina, the EU expects the government to continue with the necessary reforms to receive aid.

The European Commissioner for Enlargement said that Ukraine continues its path toward the EU under extraordinary circumstances and expressed hope that the European Council, with the support of the new government of Hungary, will soon be in a position to open all six clusters in negotiations with Kyiv.

Criticism of Moldova

She stated that Moldova is implementing quality reforms despite pressure from Russia and expressed hope that this country, like Ukraine, will soon open all six clusters in negotiations with the EU.

Regarding Georgia, Kos said that “the autocratic system of control over political expression is pushing that country further away from the European future its citizens want.”

Kos said that the issue of EU enlargement is one of the most important in Europe and assessed that the geopolitical environment is changing and that rules in the world are being respected less and less.