Joint Report on Serbia’s progress in achieving the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria and notably the key priority of taking steps towards a visible and sustainable improvement of relations with Kosovo

In its Opinion on Serbia's application for membership of October 2011, the European Commission concluded that Serbia is well on its way towards sufficiently fulfilling the political criteria set by the Copenhagen European Council in 1993 and the conditions of the Stabilisation and Association process, provided that progress continues and that practical solutions are found to the problems with Kosovo, and recommended that negotiations for accession to the European Union should be opened with Serbia as soon as it achieves further significant progress in meeting the key priority of taking further steps to normalise relations with Kosovo.

Further to the Commission's recommendation and on the basis of initial progress in improving relations with Kosovo, the European Council granted Serbia candidate country status in March 2012. In the light of the progress made in the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, and with the perspective of further substantial progress being achieved in the first part of 2013, the Council agreed to review the progress made by Serbia on the basis of a report presented by the Commission and the High Representative in Spring 2013, with a view to a possible decision of the European Council to open accession negotiations with Serbia.

This report presents the additional progress made by Serbia between 11 December 2012 and 15 April 2013. It assesses steps taken to address the key priority of improving relations with Kosovo, both in terms of latest results achieved in the high level dialogue and in terms of actual implementation of the agreements reached in 2011 and 2012.

The report also presents and assesses recent efforts to step up the EU reform agenda and examines with particular attention the latest developments in the areas of rule of law, particularly judicial reform, anti-corruption policy and the fight against organised crime, independence of key institutions, media freedom, anti-discrimination policy, protection of minorities and improvement of the business environment. The report finally takes stock of recent initiatives by Serbia to play a constructive role in the region and improve relations with its neighbours.