Accession of Serbia to the European Union
The accession of Serbia to the European Union has been on the current agenda for the future enlargement of the EU since 2011, when it became a candidate for accession. Serbia officially applied for European Union membership on 22 December 2009. Accession negotiations are currently ongoing. Serbia is expected to complete its negotiations by the end of 2024, allowing it to join the Union by 2026.
Serbia is currently receiving €2.9bn of developmental aid until 2020 from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, a funding mechanism for EU candidate countries. It is one of five current EU candidate countries, together with Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Turkey.
Identification, Recommendation, and Candidacy
Negotiations with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia intensified following the election defeat and ousting of Slobodan Milošević in 2000, and the EU officially declared the Balkan states potential candidates for membership following the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Thessaloniki on 21 June 2003.On 7 November 2007, Serbia initiated a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union. The European Commission recommended making Serbia an official candidate on 12 October 2011. After the Council's recommendation of 28 February 2012, Serbia received full candidate status on 1 March. In December 2013, the Council of the European Union approved opening negotiations for Serbia's accession.
Chronology of relations with the EU
Visa liberalisation process
On 1 January 2008, the Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreement between Serbia and the EU came into effect. On 19 December 2009, Visa requirements were lifted for Serbs travelling to Schengen countries.Serbia and Kosovo
The biggest obstacle between Serbia's accession to the EU is its strained relationship with Kosovo, which declared its independence on 17 February 2008.The Serbian government has declared that the status of Kosovo should not be tied with the EU negotiations. In September 2012, the EU Enlargement Commissioner, Štefan Füle, denied that the European Union would insist on Serbia's recognition of Kosovo before it can join the organisation.
On 19 April 2013, the governments of Kosovo and Serbia completed the Brussels Agreement, which was hailed as a major step towards normalising relations and enabled the start of EU accession talks with Serbia. On 22 April 2013, the European Commission recommended the start of EU entry talks with Serbia.
In November 2013, Kosovo's Minister of Foreign Affairs Enver Hoxhaj suggested that the EU should approve the accession of Kosovo and Serbia simultaneously due to concerns that if Serbia was admitted first they could veto Kosovo's membership. However, Serbia's accession negotiations were not halted.
Negotiation progress
Public opinion
The results of opinion polling vary drastically depending on the question asked. An August 2017 poll recorded that 51.2% were in favour of joining the EU, 36.3% were against and 12.5% undecided. However, the same poll also asked: "if recognising the independence of Kosovo were a condition of joining the EU, do you think that condition should be accepted?", to which 12.1% answered yes, 70.6% no and 17.3% were undecided.| Date | Question | Yes | No | Undecided |
| September 2002 | Join EU? | 68% | 13% | 19% |
| December 2003 | Join EU? | 72% | 8% | 20% |
| September 2004 | Join EU? | 71% | 12% | 17% |
| September 2005 | Join EU? | 64% | 12% | 24% |
| September 2006 | Join EU? | 70% | 12% | 18% |
| June 2007 | Join EU? | 69% | 15% | 15% |
| June 2008 | Join EU? | 67% | 12% | 21% |
| October 2008 | Join EU? | 65% | % | % |
| December 2008 | Join EU? | 61% | 13% | 26% |
| May 2009 | Join EU? | 61% | 17% | 22% |
| December 2009 | Join EU? | 65% | 14% | 21% |
| June 2010 | Join EU? | 65% | 15% | 20% |
| December 2010 | Join EU? | 57% | 18% | 25% |
| May 2011 | Join EU? | 55% | 27% | 18% |
| June 2011 | Join EU? | 53% | 24% | 23% |
| September 2011 | Join EU? | 46% | 37% | 17% |
| December 2011 | Join EU? | 51% | 28% | 21% |
| December 2012 | Join EU? | 41% | 31% | 27% |
| July 2013 | Join EU? | 50% | 24% | 26% |
| December 2013 | Join EU? | 51% | 22% | 27% |
| June 2014 | Join EU? | 46% | 19% | 35% |
| December 2014 | Join EU? | 44% | 25% | 31% |
| June 2015 | Join EU? | 49% | 28% | 23% |
| December 2015 | Join EU? | 48% | 28% | 24% |
| June 2016 | Join EU? | 41% | 24% | 35% |
| December 2016 | Join EU? | 47% | 29% | 24% |
| June 2017 | Join EU? | 49% | 27% | 24% |
| December 2017 | Join EU? | 52% | 24% | 24% |
| July 2018 | Join EU? | 55% | 21% | 24% |
| December 2018 | Join EU? | 55% | 25% | 20% |
| Date | Agency | Question | Yes | No | Undecided |
| 2006 | Gallup Balkan Monitor | Join EU? | 61% | % | % |
| October 2008 | Strategic Marketing | Join EU? | 61% | % | % |
| November 2010 | Gallup Balkan Monitor | Join EU? | 63% | % | % |
| March 2012 | B92/Ipsos Strategic Marketing | Join EU? | 49% | 34% | 5% |
| July 2013 | Ipsos Strategic Marketing | Join EU? | 53% | % | % |
| December 2014 | EU Delegation to Serbia | Join EU? | 57% | 28% | 15% |
| December 2014 | Eurobarometer | Join EU? | 58% | 26% | 16% |
| August 2017 | NSPM | Join EU? | 51.2% | 36.3% | 12.5% |