Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, in a written answer on 13 July 2026, outlined the EU's approach to addressing electoral irregularities in Serbia following the 29 March 2026 local elections, signalling continued pressure for reforms but offering no new concrete measures or benchmarks. The answer, responding to a question by Social Democrat MEP Delara Burkhardt, reaffirms the Commission's call for swift and transparent follow-up on reported irregularities and violence, and for accountability of perpetrators. It notes positive steps such as amendments to the Law on the Unified Voters Register and the election of an audit commission, but stresses that priority recommendations from the Council of Europe and OSCE/ODIHR remain largely unimplemented. These include separating state and party, ensuring inclusive electoral reform, auditing the voter register, increasing campaign finance oversight, and guaranteeing media freedom. The Commission will continue to monitor rule-of-law developments and report on them in the 2026 Enlargement Package, but the answer provides no specific benchmarks or consequences for lack of progress, leaving the accession process as the primary leverage. The response is largely declarative, reiterating existing positions without announcing new initiatives or timelines, which may disappoint civil society and opposition groups seeking stronger EU conditionality. For Serbia's government, the answer offers no immediate sanctions but signals that democratic shortcomings will be flagged in the enlargement report, maintaining moderate pressure. EU institutions gain no new enforcement tools, while the credibility of the accession framework depends on future reporting.
Source✉ Open answer ↗
Asked byDelara Burkhardt (S&D)