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Marta Kos from Belgrade: Serbia should cooperate on reforms, without them there is no EU membership
2025-04-29 21:05:15 / BOTA
European Union Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos has called on Serbia to intensify internal reforms in order to advance in the European integration process. During an official visit to Belgrade, she met with Serbian Prime Minister Gjuro Macut, in their first meeting since the latter took office.
At the press conference, Kos stressed that Serbia's progress towards EU membership depends on deep and tangible reforms in the areas of justice, the fight against corruption, media freedom and the electoral process.
"Work with us to create an independent judiciary that can effectively fight corruption. Work with us to build institutions that ensure a free media, where all opinions are represented," Kos declared.
She added that establishing a fair electoral framework is essential to give the Serbian people a strong voice and to ensure that decisions are based on the will of the citizens.
Kos said that the demands of the citizens who have taken to the protests are the same as those the EU is demanding from Serbia.
“What we are asking for is very close to what the people protesting in the streets are asking for,” she said, referring to the six-month protests that began after the tragic accident at the Novi Sad railway station, where 16 people died.
Students have blocked faculties in search of accountability for the deaths and for real improvements in the public system. They have received broad support from society, including professors, education workers, artists, lawyers and farmers.
For his part, Prime Minister Gjuro Macut expressed his commitment to deepening reforms and accelerating the integration process:
"Accelerating the process and opening new negotiating classes will form the basis of the work of the Serbian Government," Macut declared.
He added that he will seek Commissioner Kos' support for education reform, political dialogue, and getting the country back on track after a period of stagnation.
Kos confirmed that during her two-day visit to Belgrade, she will hold meetings with representatives of the ruling and opposition parties, civil society organizations, students who have blocked faculties, and groups opposing the blockades.
"True transformation has to come from within, it can't come from without. We are here as partners," she said.
The EU requires Serbia to take clear and measurable steps towards functional democracy, the rule of law and respect for fundamental rights, as a condition for any further step in the membership process.
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