Media: Serbia could lose €1.5bn from EU over close ties with Moscow

Serbia could potentially lose €1.5billion in European funding because of democratic backsliding and its close ties with Moscow. The European Commission is reportedly weighing such a move.

As reported by Politico, the European Commission is concerned about anti-democratic developments in Serbia and is already considering suspending funding the country receives from the EU under various programmes as a candidate state.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos told Politico that the Commission is becoming increasingly worried about what is happening in Serbia, "from laws that undermine the independence of the judiciary to crackdowns on protesters and recurrent meddling in independent media".

She said directly that the European Commission is checking whether Serbia still meets the criteria for payments under EU's financial instruments.

Another trigger is the continued reluctance of Serbia's ruling forces, traditionally "a friend of Russia" in the Balkans, to align their foreign policy with the EU's position, as well as openly anti-European statements by senior Serbian officials.

One particularly telling moment came in December 2025, when Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić did not attend the EU summit with the Western Balkan countries, complaining that Serbia is moving too slowly in the EU accession process.

In February, Vučić wrote in a joint article with his Albanian counterpart that Serbia might be better off moving towards closer economic cooperation with the EU rather than full membership. Marta Kos responded at the time that Serbia would still need to carry out significant reforms in order to participate in the EU single market and enjoy visa-free travel in the union.

Four EU officials working with enlargement countries, speaking anonymously, said discussions had intensified within the European Commission in recent weeks about cutting Serbia's EU funding.

Two of the sources said a negative opinion by the Venice Commission on controversial draft laws threatening judicial independence, expected at the end of April, could play an important role in triggering the process.

Serbia's ambassador to the EU and chief accession negotiator Danijel Apostolović said he is "confident that we will not reach that point" and insisted that Serbia still seeks full EU membership. He also said Belgrade would heed the Venice Commission's recommendations.

The EU is Serbia's largest provider of financial support. From 2021 to 2024, Belgrade received more than €586 million in non-repayable grants, along with a further €1.5 billion in funds available conditional on reforms.