As part of its annual Enlargement Package, on November 4th, the European Commission published its latest Report assessing Serbia's progress and level of preparedness for EU membership. Building on the assessments set out in the previous European Commission Report, EUmeter has provided a transparent, real-time overview of Serbia's progress during the period between the two Commission reports. This has enabled stakeholders to continuously monitor the progress made by Serbia in its reform processes. Although based on a different methodology, with a focus on aligning Serbia's legislation with the EU acquis, EUmeter identified progress in almost all the areas also highlighted by the European Commission in its Report.
Nevertheless, one key difference remains: the European Commission takes a considerably more cautious approach when translating recorded progress into an improved assessment of a country's level of preparedness for membership. Furthermore, partly due to a half-grade decrease in the assessment of Chapter 26 - Education and Culture, which had previously been provisionally closed, Serbia's average level of preparedness for EU membership increased slightly less than projected by EUmeter.
Limited progress in the majority of areas
Fully in line with EUmeter's findings and projections, only limited progress or no progress at all was recorded in the majority of negotiating chapters, while the European Commission also noted backsliding in two chapters. In the negotiating chapters where EUmeter had assessed that Serbia still had substantial work ahead, the European Commission's Report confirmed this assessment, noting limited progress, no progress or even backsliding.
The only exception was Chapter 1 - Free Movement of Goods. Although EUmeter identified the adoption of 13 relevant rulebooks and one law transposing EU legislation into domestic law, the large number of reform commitments scheduled for implementation in the final quarter of the year led to the conclusion that substantial work remains to be done in this area.
EUmeter and the European Commission in agreement: progress in a total of eight negotiating chapters
The European Commission noted some progress in seven negotiating chapters and good progress in one, broadly reflecting the findings presented by EUmeter. The assessments were aligned in the following areas: Chapter 8 - Competition Policy; Chapter 10 - Information Society and Media; Chapter 15 - Energy; Chapter 18 - Statistics; Chapter 22 - Regional Policy and Coordination of Structural Instruments; Chapter 27 - Environment and Climate Change; and Chapter 29 - Customs Union, which had already achieved a good level of preparedness for membership.
Apart from the aforementioned Chapter 1, the only discrepancy concerned the assessment of progress under Chapter 33 - Financial and Budgetary Provisions. Although the European Commission agreed with EUmeter's positive assessment of the amendments to the Law on the Budget System adopted in August 2026, noting that they had strengthened the link between internal financial control and managerial accountability, it did not consider this reform sufficiently significant to warrant a higher assessment of progress in this chapter.
The projections based on EUmeter's assessments and findings were also confirmed in Chapter 18 - Statistics and Chapter 27 - Environment and Climate Change. In these areas, the Commission not only recorded progress but also upgraded its assessment of Serbia's level of preparedness for membership, in line with EUmeter's assessment.
EUmeter reaffirms its credibility and relevance
Through its impartial research approach, EUmeter has developed into a digital tool distinguished by its analytical depth, precision and comprehensiveness. Despite employing a somewhat different methodology and currently focusing exclusively on monitoring the process of legislative alignment with the EU acquis, EUmeter's findings are largely reflected in the European Commission's official Report.
EUmeter's added value lies in the fact that its methodology and sources are fully transparent and accessible to all users, as well as in its ability to monitor Serbia's progress in the accession process in real time. EUmeter therefore helps bridge the gap arising from the fact that stakeholders must wait a full year for the European Commission's next report.
Once the reform process in Serbia gains further momentum following the formation of a new Government, the need for and importance of having a platform such as EUmeter will become even more evident.
Author: Sava Mitrović, Programme Director responsible for the EUmeter and EUpravo Zato initiatives at the WMG Foundation.
(EUpravo zato)