The European Commission, in its 2025 Report on Serbia’s progress, clearly states that Serbia’s advancement toward the European Union depends on the implementation of the Agreement on the Path to Normalisation with Kosovo, and on measurable results in the areas of rule of law, prosecution of war crimes, and respect for victims.
The European Commission notes that Serbia:
- has not fulfilled its obligations under the Agreement on the Path to Normalisation with Kosovo, including the acceptance and durable recognition of official documents and administrative acts;
- continues to tolerate the glorification of convicted war criminals in the public and political sphere;
- does not take measures to address the denial of the genocide in Srebrenica and other crimes established before international and domestic courts;
- shows very limited results in the prosecution of war crimes, including the absence of proceedings based on facts established before the ICTY and other international courts;
- for political reasons blocks cooperation with the judicial authorities of Kosovo, including the exchange of evidence and mutual legal assistance;
- and has still not ensured consistent implementation of the 2023 Declaration on Missing Persons, including opening of archives, joint forensic work, and the institutional participation of families of victims.
HLC Recommendations:
- Initiate and conduct war crimes investigations based on judicially established facts in cases adjudicated before the ICTY.
- Establish sustainable and legally grounded cooperation between the prosecutor’s offices of Serbia and Kosovo, with international expert participation, in order to resolve issues related to trials in absentia.
- The ongoing student protests clearly demonstrate the importance of access to accurate and verifiable information about the wars of the 1990s in the public sphere.
In this regard, it is necessary for state institutions to publicly distance themselves from the glorification of convicted war criminals. - Implementation of the Declaration on Missing Persons must begin with the opening of archives, joint forensic work between Kosovo and Serbian teams, and the inclusion of families of victims in exhumation and identification processes.
