23/06/2026 Session
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), meeting in plenary session in Strasbourg, today welcomed the progress made by Serbia as regards combating corruption and the reform of the judiciary and prosecution services since its accession to the Council of Europe in 2003, in particular the adoption of amendments to the Constitution in February 2022 and of several laws on the organisation of the judiciary and prosecution service.
However, PACE noted that since its last resolution on “The honouring of obligations and commitments by Serbia”, adopted in 2012, the situation has changed and that “there are now serious concerns about the country's adherence to the principles of democracy, rule of law, and the observance of public freedoms”.
In a resolution adopted on the basis of a report by Victoria Tiblom (Sweden, ECPA) and Yunus Emre (Türkiye, SOC), the Parliamentary Assembly expressed concern about a political environment marked by significant polarisation and ongoing tensions between the government and the ruling majority, on the one hand, and political opposition, the student movement and civil society on the other.
The parliamentarians deplored incidents of abuse of force by law enforcement authorities, arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment in custody during mass protests – following the November 2024 collapse of the Novi Sad railway station canopy, which resulted in the deaths of 16 people – which continued until the end of 2025 and led to a student movement seeking transparency, justice and early elections. They also deplored the alleged use of a sonic weapon to disperse crowds during the mass demonstration in Belgrade on 15 March 2025.
In this context, PACE called on the authorities to “avoid the use of unnecessary force against protesters” and to conduct independent investigations into these cases. It also urged the authorities to stop reprisals and intimidation measures against civil society activists, human rights defenders, journalists and independent media outlets, and to ensure a conducive environment for their work.
The Parliamentary Assembly also called on Serbian authorities to amend the “Mrdić laws” as soon as possible, in line with the recommendations of the Venice Commission, to pursue further reform of the judiciary and prosecution services in line with Council of Europe standards and to “show a genuine commitment to investigating and adjudicating cases of war crimes”.
PACE decided to examine the outstanding issues within the framework of a forthcoming report on the honouring of obligations and commitments by Serbia.