Changes from resolution motion to resolution motion joint

AddedR. whereas the government and the ruling elite have normalised repression through pardons for violent attacks committed by government supporters, the suspension of public transport to block protests, the politically motivated expulsion of foreign citizens and the occupation of central Belgrade by pro-government demonstrators;

AddedS. whereas the Serbian authorities have repeatedly stated that Serbia remains committed to joining the EU and to implementing the necessary reforms, yet the pace of progress in key areas, such as the rule of law, media freedom, judicial independence and the fight against corruption, has rather backtracked;

AddedT. whereas Commission President von der Leyen visited Serbia on 15 October 2025;

Added1. Commemorates, one year after the tragedy, the 16 victims who lost their lives as a result of the collapse of the canopy of the Novi Sad railway station on 1 November 2024 and expresses its solidarity with those who were injured; reiterates its calls for full and transparent legal proceedings following the investigation by the authorities, in order to bring those responsible to justice, in accordance with the rule of law; calls for an independent technical examination of the structural failure, a comprehensive review of construction permits and oversight procedures, and a full assessment of potential corruption or negligence; urges the Serbian authorities to guarantee victims’ families effective access to justice and adequate compensation; underlines the need to examine more broadly the extent to which corruption led to the lowering of safety standards and contributed to this tragedy;

Added2. Supports the right of Serbian students and citizens to peaceful protests calling for accountability and democratic reforms directly linked to the rule of law, which the EU expects from Serbia; stresses the importance of civic courage, commitment to non-violence and youth engagement for the advancement of Serbia’s European path; notes the shortlisting of Serbian students as a finalist for the 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought; supports genuine attempts at dialogue about how the government can meet student demands; is deeply concerned that the situation in Serbia remains fraught with tension and polarisation that could easily lead to violence, which is a direct result of hate speech, promotion of violence, smear campaigns against opponents and anti-EU and pro-Russian propaganda widely spread via government-controlled media and also by government officials, as well as of a gross failure from the official side to face and come to terms with Serbia’s past; calls on all political and social actors in Serbia to refrain from such rhetoric and contribute to fostering a climate of mutual respect, democratic dialogue and de-escalation; urges the Serbian Government to promote inclusive political participation and guarantee equal access to media for all political parties and candidates; stresses the importance of depolarising public discourse and fostering a political culture rooted in tolerance, compromise and respect for democratic institutions; calls on civil society, media and educational institutions to play an active role in bridging societal divisions and strengthening democratic resilience;

Added3. Condemns in the strongest terms the wave of state-influenced violence, intimidation and indiscriminate arrests against peaceful protesters, journalists, civil society organisations and opposition representatives in Serbia; condemns smear campaigns, intimidation of the media and the abusive use of personal data to discredit protesters, and urges the Serbian authorities to ensure media freedom; calls on senior officials to end inflammatory rhetoric that incites hostility or violence; condemns the use of unlawful surveillance against demonstrators, such as through the use of Pegasus, Cellebrite and NoviSpy; expresses particular concern about the deployment of long-range acoustic devices and the extensive use of tear gas against civilians; urges the adoption and implementation of clear protocols on lawful crowdcontrol technologies and independent oversight mechanisms; calls on the Serbian Government to fully guarantee and respect the people’s right of assembly and freedom of expression in line with the Serbian Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights; further condemns all forms of hate speech and incitement to hatred, particularly against national minorities;

Added4. Holds the Serbian leadership politically responsible for escalating repression, normalising violence and weakening democratic institutions; deplores the fact that the highest state officials are actively spreading conspiracy theories about the collapse of the canopy being an act of sabotage or terrorist attack; is concerned about the lack of response from state institutions, including law enforcement and the judiciary, to refute these baseless claims;

Added5. Warns against the misuse of criminal law to suppress civic participation; stresses that amendments to the Criminal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code and the Law of 2005 on Juvenile Offenders and Criminal Protection of Juveniles must not result in criminalising peaceful behaviour or non-violent forms of protest; recalls that the proportional application of criminal sanctions is a cornerstone of the rule of law and of Serbia’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights;

Added6. Is concerned about the illegal arrests made ahead of the protests of 15 March and 28 June 2025, which were preceded by leaked recordings of suspects’ conversations published by pro-government media; notes that several political activists and members of the Free Citizens Movement (PSG) opposition party were arrested on these grounds and that some remain under house arrest or in exile; calls for their immediate release;

Added7. Calls for urgent, impartial and transparent investigations into all allegations of unnecessary and disproportionate use of force, arbitrary arrests, detentions, torture, sexual violence against detainees, politically motivated prosecutions and other grave human rights abuses, including spitting on and beating restrained detainees, verbal degradation and death threats; calls on the authorities to thoroughly examine the allegations that these violations originated from high-ranking officials of the JZO, particularly its commanding officer, Marko Kričak; reiterates that these actions could amount to inhumane and degrading treatment prohibited by international law and policing protocols;

Added8. Takes note of the resignation of Prime Minister Vučević, which was confirmed by the National Assembly on 19 March 2025, and of the subsequent appointment of the new government led by Đuro Macut on 16 April 2025;

Added9. Notes the August 2025 arrest, and subsequent release, of former government ministers Tomislav Momirović and Goran Vesić on charges of abuse of office and suspicion of damaging the Serbian state budget by at least USD 115 million in relation to the reconstruction of the Belgrade-Budapest railway line, including the collapsed canopy of the Novi Sad railway station; deeply regrets the obstruction of justice that has prevented those responsible for the railway station canopy collapse from being held accountable; condemns the smear campaigns disseminated through pro-government channels against judges and prosecutors working to enforce the rule of law;

Added10. Strongly condemns the government’s retaliation against employees in the education and cultural sectors for supporting the protests, including job losses, salary reductions, the presence of police on university campuses and the withdrawal of funding for public universities;

Added11. Calls on the Serbian authorities to immediately restore financing to universities; calls on the competent institutions to ensure the unhindered participation of the academic and research community in projects funded by the EU;

Added12. Condemns the actions of the members of the ruling party in organising an illegal encampment in Pionirski park in front of the presidency building and its subsequent expansion into the square overlooking the National Assembly; is gravely concerned about multiple reports of individuals with criminal backgrounds being mobilised by the ruling party in counter-protest activities, attacking protesters with pyrotechnics, further escalating tensions, violence and polarisation in the country; condemns the targeting of members of national minorities and the use of ethnic slurs by pro-government media;

Added13. Condemns the arbitrary use of presidential pardons for individuals convicted of or prosecuted for violence against students and other citizens participating in peaceful protests, considering such actions to be a direct interference with justice and seriously undermine the rule of law;

Added14. Calls on the Serbian authorities to enable the safe return of all citizens who have fled the country as a result of political repression, intimidation or fear of persecution, and to guarantee their full protection and reintegration in accordance with the law and Serbia’s international obligations;

Added15. Strongly condemns the unlawful arrest and expulsion of EU citizens who made statements in support of protesting students, and the public disclosure, by convicted war criminals, of the personal data of EU citizens; expresses concern about the rising number of detention cases involving EU citizens at Serbia’s borders;

Added16. Condemns in the strongest possible terms the verbal attacks on MEPs by the highest Serbian officials because of their participation in, or statements made in the context of, the student protests, the most prominent example of which is President Vučić’s attack on the MEPs from the Green/EFA Group on 5 September 2025;

Added17. Condemns the overt Russian Federation interference in the Serbian protests through disinformation spread by its officials, including Vladimir Putin, alleging that the protests form part of a Western-backed ‘colour revolution’; rejects all allegations by Serbian officials and pro-government media that the EU and some of its Member States were involved in organising the student protests with a view to triggering a ‘colour revolution’; calls on the Serbian authorities to take action against such malign propaganda in domestic media, instead of participating in its dissemination; remains concerned about the nationalist narratives present in parts of the protest movement; deplores the continued use of nationalist narratives, such as the ‘Greater Serbia’ and ‘Serbian World’ concepts, which have in the past been promoted by certain members of the Serbian Government; recalls that such rhetoric has no place in EU-Serbia relations and undermines regional stability;

Added18. Notes with concern that, in parallel to the ongoing protests, the Serbian Government appears to have been negotiating with the owners of the United Media company, to ‘weaken’ independent media outlets operating under it; warns that, if confirmed, this would represent a serious attack on the already endangered media pluralism in Serbia; calls on Serbia to align with EU policies in countering foreign interference and disinformation campaigns;

Added19. Calls for the immediate and full implementation of all recommendations of the international election observation missions of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to ensure free and fair elections in Serbia, in particular those concerning an independent audit of the voter register, the transparent and pluralistic appointment of members of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) Council and the provision of fair and equal access to airtime on public broadcaster RTS for all political actors;

Added20. Calls on the Serbian authorities to conduct a fully transparent comprehensive technical safety inspection of all infrastructure facilities, including those on the railway line from Belgrade, through Novi Sad, to the border with Hungary, in order to ensure their structural integrity, safety and compliance with international standards; urges the Serbian authorities not to put into operation any infrastructure facilities that lack the necessary permits and certificates for safe and uninterrupted use, particularly those located on international and regionally important transport corridors;

Added21. Encourages Serbia to strengthen cooperation with the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) and to fully implement its UNCAC obligations; calls for enhanced transparency of ownership and financing in public procurement for infrastructure projects; stresses that Serbia must safeguard environmental standards and the rights of local and national minority communities when approving such projects;

Added22. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to closely monitor the implementation of reforms through the EU accession process and the Reform Agenda adopted under the Reform and Growth Facility; acknowledges Serbia’s progress in certain areas, including economic growth, regional infrastructure connectivity and cooperation with the EU on migration management and energy security; welcomes Serbia’s participation in EU-funded projects under the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and the Green Agenda; encourages Serbia to continue advancing reforms in alignment with EU standards, and reaffirms the EU’s readiness to support the Serbian people in their efforts towards a democratic, prosperous and European future;

Added23. Underlines its long-standing commitment to Serbia’s European perspective and future EU membership, while clearly underlining that progress on EU accession depends on full respect for the EU’s values, a genuinely merit-based process, and adherence to democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, which are among the Copenhagen criteria;

Added24. Reiterates that EU accession negotiations with Serbia should only advance on the basis of measurable and sustainable progress in the fundamentals cluster, particularly on the rule of law, the fight against corruption and organised crime, judicial independence, media freedom, public administration reform, full alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy (CFSP), and sanctions against Russia; recalls that Serbia remains a notable exception in the Western Balkans regarding alignment with the CFSP; emphasises that progressive alignment with the CFSP is a key requirement for all EU candidate countries; calls on the Serbian authorities to foster a fact-based and open discussion on accession to the EU;

Added25. Reiterates its strong support for Serbian civil society organisations, human rights defenders and independent activists working to strengthen democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights; calls on the Commission to ensure adequate and accessible funding and effective protection mechanisms for civil society actors; condemns any form of intimidation, harassment or administrative pressure against non-governmental organisations and activists; emphasises the vital role of civil society in promoting transparency, monitoring democratic standards and holding public authorities accountable;

Added26. Supports the prompt deployment of an ad hoc EU fact-finding mission to Serbia, with the participation of the European Parliament, in order to assess, on the ground, the state of democracy, the ongoing protests, attacks on demonstrators and repression targeting students, academics, educators and public-sector employees;

Added27. Calls on the most senior EU officials to refrain from making unfounded statements praising the reform process in Serbia; welcomes the shift in the Commission President’s tone during her recent visit to Serbia, which reflects a more accurate assessment of Serbia’s underlying problems and negative track record on fundamental reforms; notes the announced agreement in relation to independent verification of the voter registry and the REM Council media regulator, while underlining that progress is assessed based on implementation of reforms;

Added28. Invites the Commission to launch an initiative for targeted individual sanctions to be imposed against those responsible for serious violations of law and human rights in Serbia, in line with the EU global human rights sanctions regime;

Added29. Calls on the EU Member States to strengthen protective measures for those at risk, including emergency visas and relocation programmes; urges the EU and Member State diplomatic missions to closely monitor all ongoing legal proceedings related to the protests; urges the EU Member States to adopt a united response to Serbia’s democratic backsliding, including by considering targeted sanctions against individuals responsible for serious violations of law and human rights in Serbia;

Added30. Calls on all countries participating in the upcoming Expo 2027 in Serbia to take into account the serious concerns and evidence of widespread corruption linked to the ruling authorities, as well as the reported lack of compliance with basic construction standards and legal requirements in the organisation and construction of the exhibition;

Added31. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the President of the European Council, the Commission, the Vice‑President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the President, Government and National Assembly of Serbia, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.