EU bid to advance Serbia's membership talks stalls

Member States Block Commission Push on Serbia's EU Membership

Eight European Union member states have blocked a European Commission proposal to open a new chapter of accession negotiations with Serbia. Serbia applied for EU membership in 2009 and has held candidate status since 2012. Diplomats report that Serbia’s EU membership bid was blocked by Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Sweden; all opposed opening the negotiating cluster on the EU single market. The Eur…

MEPs call for tougher line on Serbia as rule-of-law problems stall membership talks

The European Parliament voted for more thorough implementation of Serbia’s EU harmonisation reforms while negotiations on a new accession cluster failed to reach a consensus on Wednesday (8 July).  Although still broadly seen as a strong ally in the Balkans, Belgrade’s misalignment with European civil liberties and security policies has stalled its accession negotiations for EU membership. “We’d like to call on the commission to stop funding to …

Eight EU countries oppose opening next accession cluster for Serbia

In a major blow to Belgrade’s bid to join the European Union, EU ambassadors who gathered in Brussels on Wednesday failed to find unanimity on Serbia's path toward joining the bloc.

EU bid to advance Serbia's membership talks stalls

A European Commission push to advance Serbia's European Union accession process has failed to secure the backing of member states, Politico sources say.