The European Union, in a statement delivered at the OSCE Permanent Council on 30 July 2026, welcomed the work of the OSCE Mission to Serbia and called on Serbia to improve the media environment, implement electoral reforms, and advance normalization of relations with Pristina. The statement, delivered in response to Ambassador Marcel Peško's report, praised the Mission's contribution to Serbia's 2026–2030 Media Strategy and the development of the country's first Media Literacy Index, while stressing the need for a fully functioning Regulatory Authority on Electronic Media (REM) Council to ensure media pluralism and fair elections. The EU also underlined the importance of protecting journalists, implementing ODIHR recommendations, and strengthening judicial independence and the fight against corruption and organized crime. On regional issues, the EU encouraged Serbia to strengthen good neighbourly relations and reiterated that progress on normalization with Pristina is essential for both parties' European paths. The statement reaffirmed the EU's commitment to enlargement based on credible reforms, conditionality, and the principle of own merits, welcoming Serbia's overall progress but urging further efforts in rule of law, EU values alignment, and foreign policy alignment. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, and Ukraine aligned with the statement.
Source📌 Read statement ↗