The EU suspends the funds intended for Serbia from the Growth Plan: “You can't play at both ends”

The European Union has frozen funds from the Growth Plan intended for Serbia, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, said on Thursday evening, accusing Belgrade of “regressing” in the field of judicial reforms, AFP and Agerpres inform on Friday.

The remarks, made at a conference in Switzerland, come after the Serbian parliament passed judicial reforms without consulting prosecutors, judges, the EU or other specialist bodies.

Critics say the reforms, adopted in January, give court presidents more power over judges and remove safeguards that ensure the independence of prosecutors, raising concerns within the EU and the Council of Europe.

“For the time being, we have suspended all payments under the Growth Plan because there has been a setback in the area of ​​justice,” Kos said in response to a question about Serbia.

“Until this is fixed, they will not be able to benefit from European financial support,” she added, speaking at a conference organized for the 50th anniversary of Europe Day at the University of Friborg in Switzerland.

Contacted by AFP to find out if a formal decision had been taken on the suspension of funding, the European Commission did not respond.

Serbia has remained a close ally of the Kremlin

The growth plan, which targets six Western Balkan countries (Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia), has a budget of €6 billion for the period 2024-2027. It is intended to stimulate savings and accelerate integration with the EU.

The funds are conditional on reforms, especially those related to guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary and fighting corruption.

Serbia received the first installment of 56.5 million euros in mid-January under this plan, out of a total of 1.58 billion euros allocated to this EU candidate country.

Kos also criticized the backsliding on the rule of law, democracy and press freedom.

“Serbia is now extremely polarized,” she said, referring to the tense political climate in the country after nearly a year and a half of anti-corruption protests.

“It has been a candidate (for EU membership, no) for over a decade, and unfortunately we are seeing a setback,” she added, also criticizing Serbia's foreign policy.

Serbia remains a close ally of the Kremlin and one of the few European states that did not sanction Russia after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

“You can't play both ends,” Kos concluded.