Accession of Serbia to the European Union

Accession of Serbia to the European Union
StatusCandidate negotiating
Application
European perspective21 June 2003
Potential candidate21 June 2003
Membership application22 December 2009
Candidate status1 March 2012
Screened & negotiations commence25 March 2015
Clusters open0
Chapters open0
Clusters closed0
Chapters closed0
Chapter 25 – Science and research and Chapter 26 – Education and culture are provisionally closed. Chapter 34 - Institutions is currently not applicable.
Memberships & Treaties
Association Agreement
1 September 2013
Economic and monetary policy
EU Free Trade Agreement1 September 2013
World Trade Organization (WTO)Undergoing accession process.[1]
Euro & the EurozoneThe euro is widely accepted in Serbia, although it has no formal approval, and the official currency of the country is the Serbian dinar
Travel
Schengen visa liberalisation19 December 2009
Energy
Energy CommunityMember since 9 August 2006
EuratomSerbia is not a member. Serbia does not have any nuclear power, but it does have a moratorium on the development of nuclear energy.[2]
ENTSO-EElektromreža Srbije is a member.
Foreign and military policy
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)Individual Partnership Action Plan since 15 January 2015
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)1 August 1975 (as Yugoslavia)
Human rights and international courts
Council of Europe (CoE)since 2003 (as Serbia and Montenegro)
International Criminal Court (ICC)Serbia and Montenegro deposited their instrument of ratification of the Rome Statute on 6 September 2001. The Rome Statute entered into force on 1 July 2002.[3]
International Court of Justice (ICJ)
Impact (27+1)
Population446,828,803455,052,321
Increase 1.5%
Area4,233,262 km2
1,634,472 mi2
4,310,736 km2
1,664,385 mi2
Increase 1.8%
(excluding Kosovo)
HDI0.8960.890
Decrease 0.67%
GDP (PPP)$25.399 trillion$25.572 trillion
Increase 0.68%
GDP per capita (PPP)$56,928$56,196
Decrease 1.29%
GDP$17.818 trillion$17.256 trillion
Increase 0.4%
GDP per capita$39,940$37,920
Decrease 5.3%
Gini30.030.1
Negative increase 0.39%
Official Languages2425 Serbian
Increase 1

Serbia applied to join the European Union (EU) in 2009 and has been a candidate for membership since 2012, along with nine other states. Serbia is the largest country in Southeast Europe seeking entry into the EU.[4][5][6]

A poll in June 2023 found that only 33% of Serbs wanted to join the EU.[7] Obstacles for accession include the requirement to recognize statehood for Kosovo, foreign policy alignment with Russia, democratic backsliding including allegations of fraud in elections in December 2023, and domestic policies such as rule of law and media freedom.[8][5][9]

  1. ^ "Serbia". World Trade Organization. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  2. ^ "SERBIA NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY". International Trade Administration. U.S. Department of Commerce. 16 August 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Serbia". International Criminal Court. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  4. ^ Milovančević, Vojislav (19 September 2023). "EKSKLUZIVNO Francusko-nemački predlog za proširenje EU: Ako ispuni uslove, Srbija bi mogla da postane članica 2030. godine" (in Serbian). Nova.rs. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  5. ^ a b Barber, Tony (11 November 2023). "Serbia is a poor fit for EU enlargement plans". Financial Times.
  6. ^ "'Serbia needs to align further with the EU', Commissioner Várhelyi tells Vučić in Belgrade". Euronews. 14 May 2024.
  7. ^ Kaiser, Julia (30 October 2024). "The Commission's annual Enlargement Package: How close are candidate states to EU membership?". The Parliament Magazine.
  8. ^ Sergio, Gregorio (14 November 2023). "EU 'lacked momentum' on Balkan enlargement, says Serbia's Europe minister". Politico.
  9. ^ "Poslanici EP usvojili izveštaj o Srbiji, Bilčik: Očekujemo od političkih lidera da zauzmu jasan stav i osude Rusiju" [deputies adopted the report on Serbia, Bilčik: We expect political leaders to take a clear position and condemn Russia]. Euronews (in Serbian). 10 May 2023.