EU will punish Serbia?

EU will punish Serbia?

How the EU will react to Serbia's decision not to comply with European sanctions imposed on Moscow at the moment, and whether this will result in a slowdown in the accession process, depends in the first place on the decision of member states, the European Commission says.

Asked daily by Albanian journalists whether sanctions would be imposed on Serbia for non-compliance with EU measures against Russia, Brussels reiterated that candidate countries are obliged to "gradually" comply with EU policy and decisions within the Common Foreign and Security Policy during the accession process and within EU security policy.

However, they also explain that there is no legal basis on the basis of which the EU could sanction Serbia for not adopting sanctions against Moscow.

"The decision on the next steps of the countries in the accession process, specifically on the opening of chapters and clusters, is in the hands of the member states. They make that decision based on the European Commission's report on enlargement," said EC spokeswoman Ana Pisonero.

According to her, the EU is still making efforts with the candidate countries, but also with all other partners, to explain to them why sanctions were imposed and why it is important to reduce the strength of the "war machine available to the Kremlin".

According to the Negotiating Framework adopted by all member states, which is guided by the European Commission in the accession process, Serbia has no obligation to fully comply with the EU's foreign and security policy until its accession. At the same time, Brussels estimates that the current situation on the European continent is "unprecedented since the end of the Cold War" and that expectations from Serbia exceed the adopted legal norms.

This position is primarily advocated by member states that directly feel threatened by Russian actions, such as the Baltic states, but also by countries that previously had firm positions on the accession process.

The working bodies of the EU Council are currently working on harmonizing the positions for the opening of cluster 3 with Serbia, and diplomatic sources note that if the situation in Ukraine does not change in the next few months, but primarily the position of Belgrade, some members could block the opening of the cluster expected in June.

To this situation should be added the fact that the EU does not have excessive enthusiasm to accelerate the enlargement process, whether it is the Eastern Partners or the countries of the Western Balkans.

When it comes to Montenegro, which is 100% in line with EU foreign policy decisions, Brussels says that they "welcome and appreciate the clear position of Podgorica", but also emphasize that they expect to see in practice what Podgorica has committed to, and that is the application of sanctions towards Russia.

"We very much appreciate the consistent and 100% harmonization of Montenegro with the EU foreign policy. Implementation is up to the national authorities, where we expect robust implementation and rapid adoption of relevant decisions in line with Montenegro's results so far and in line with their strong stance in defending international law and Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty", said EU spokesman Peter Stano.

When it comes to Turkey, which is a candidate country and has not imposed sanctions against Moscow, Brussels praises Ankara's engagement, stating that it has done a lot in the field of diplomacy and mediation in the Ukrainian conflict.