Civil society organizations, including the Autonomous Women’s Center, welcome the 2025 European Commission Report on Serbia which for the first time explicitly confirms what we already know — a serious backsliding in democracy, human rights, and fundamental freedoms, as well as a prolonged stagnation in the country’s EU integration process.

After a series of previous reports in which the Commission noted the absence of progress, the document published on Tuesday, November 4, speaks clearly of backsliding in the areas of the rule of law and fundamental rights. For the first time, it directly identifies the source of anti-European sentiment among Serbian citizens — the highest political officials — and highlights its dissemination through pro-government media outlets.

The Commission explicitly states that during student and civic protests in Serbia over the past 12 months, there were documented cases of excessive use of force, violence against protesters and journalists, and the deployment of sonic weapons to disperse gatherings, while institutional responses were largely absent. The report notes that presidential pardons granted to individuals suspected of attacking students and citizens represent a sign of deep erosion of the rule of law and encouragement of violence by the highest state authorities. Such actions by the government directly undermine fundamental human rights and strip constitutional guarantees of their meaning.

You can read the full civil society response HERE.

The European Commission’s 2025 Serbia Report is available HERE.