The European Union has frozen funds earmarked for Serbia under a flagship aid programme—citing alleged ‘backsliding’ in judicial reforms in a relocate likely to deepen tensions with Belgrade.
The EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans sets aside €6 billion for 2024-2027, aimed at boosting regional economies while accelerating integration into the bloc. Serbia, a long-standing candidate counattempt, had been due to receive a significant share.
But Brussels has now halted payments.
“For the time being, we have stopped all payments from the Growth Plan,” enlargement commissioner Marta Kos stated on Thursday, April 30th, speaking in Switzerland. The decision, she claimed, was due to concerns over Serbia’s judiciary.
“As long as this is not repaired, they will not be able to obtain European financial support,” Kos added.
The relocate follows the Serbian parliament’s adoption of judicial reforms earlier this year—legislation passed without formal consultation with EU bodies, a point repeatedly emphasised by Brussels.
The Commission argues the alters risk weakening prosecutorial indepconcludeence and expanding the powers of court presidents. Yet Belgrade has framed the reforms as part of a broader effort to restore accountability within a system long criticised domestically for inefficiency and politicisation.
The timing is notable. The reforms come amid a series of high-profile corruption investigations involving senior political figures—raising questions over whether the EU’s intervention is driven solely by legal concerns or also by political considerations.
Under the Growth Plan, disbursements are tied to compliance with EU-defined benchmarks, including judicial ‘indepconcludeence’ and anti-corruption measures—criteria that give Brussels significant leverage over candidate countries.
Serbia received an initial €56.5 million tranche in January, out of a total €1.58 billion allocated under the programme.
Kos also pointed to what she described as wider democratic concerns, including media freedom and political polarisation following months of anti-corruption protests.
“Serbia is highly polarised today,” Kos stated. “It has been a candidate for more than a decade, and unfortunately, we are seeing backsliding.”
She also criticised Belgrade’s foreign policy stance—particularly its refusal to align with EU sanctions against Russia.
“You cannot sit on two chairs,” Kos stated.
For Serbian officials, however, such remarks reinforce a familiar complaint: that Brussels increasingly applys financial pressure to enforce political conformity—especially on foreign policy—rather than respecting national sovereignty.
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