The reporting period, from May to October 2024, coincides with the first six months of work of the new Government of Serbia. The continuation of the reform process has not yet gained momentum. The exposé of the new prime minister interprets the priorities differently and aligns them with traditional values.

Instead of channelling different views and interests, democratic institutions show increasing intolerance towards dissenters and critics of the government. Such conditions are not suitable for the definition and implementation of reforms in a quality manner.

Citizens who regularly took to the streets during the summer and autumn to express their opposition to the government's decisions, and to demand responsibility for its failures, suffered retaliation, which increasingly took the form of criminal prosecution. The long-awaited amendments to the criminal legislation presented in October are therefore gaining importance, and numerous objections have been expressed both for their content and for the drafting process. Relevant ministries have abandoned the good practice of publishing regular reports on the implementation of action plans for chapters 23 and 24, which makes it difficult to conduct public oversight over the implementation of reform activities.

The prEUgovor coalition appeals to both sides of the accession negotiations to strengthen the reform potential of the EU enlargement process. The Government of Serbia should take advantage of the new momentum for enlargement by intensifying the reforms in Cluster 1 in good faith, noting that it must put quality above speed. That is why activities must be transparent, inclusive and timely. The Coalition calls new EU institutions to intensify the debate on the EU internal reform in order to prepare for enlargement and to include future members in this debate.

At the conference presenting the Alarm Report, it was stated that there are no quality reforms in conditions of growing societal polarization and government repression of dissenters. Civil society strives to at least prevent the adoption of harmful policies. Within the framework of European integration, economic topics have marginalized the rule of law, yet without it, there can be no progress in the EU accession process. The 23rd Alarm Report was presented at a conference held at the European House in Belgrade. The conference featured speakers Miša Bojović from Transparency Serbia, Vanja Macanović from the Autonomous Women's Center, and Jelena Pejić Nikić from the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy.

You can view the ALARM Report by the prEUgovor coalition HERE.

You can watch the recording of the prEUgovor conference: