EP adopts report on Serbia

BRUSSELS - The European Parliament (EP) adopted a report on Serbia with 419 votes in favour, 113 votes against and 88 abstentions on Wednesday.

Six hundred and twenty of 751 MEPs in attendance took part in the vote.

The report says the overall pace of Serbia's EU accession talks will depend on tangible progress on fundamental values, rule of law and commitment to common European rights and values, as well as on alignment with the EU's common foreign and security policy and on the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, which it notes needs to be conducted in good faith to ensure a legally binding agreement based on mutual recognition.

The report by EP rapporteur Tonino Picula calls on Serbia to demonstrate its strategic orientation towards the EU with strong political will and consistency in EU-related reforms, as well as to communicate with its citizens about the EU, Serbia's EU path and the required reforms in an objective and unequivocal manner.

The report also notes Serbia's commitment to EU membership as a strategic goal, as well as its ambition to fully align with the EU acquis by the end of 2026.

It also acknowledges Serbia's good level of preparedness in terms of macroeconomic stability and fiscal discipline and notes that Cluster 3 in the country's accession talks is technically ready for opening.

It also calls for launching full and transparent legal procedures following the authorities' investigation into the November 1 overhang collapse at the Novi Sad railway station.

The report also stresses the significance of freedom of speech and assembly and calls for an independent probe into claims that illegal crowd control technology was used at a March 15 protest in Belgrade.

The document also welcomes Serbia's active engagement in implementation of the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans as well as the country's progress towards developing a functional market economy with positive GDP growth and higher foreign investment in some sectors.