Serbia Meets Just 18 Percent of EU Growth Plan Reforms
Ahead of the Tivat summit, a National Convention report shows Serbia has completed only 6 of 34 reform steps, risking the loss of EU Growth Plan funds.
- As of March 31, 2026, Serbia had completed 18 percent of its reforms, six of 34 steps.
- The weakest area is rule of law: one of 13 steps, with a finding of active backsliding.
- Of the 1.586 billion euros available under the Growth Plan, only 56.5 million euros net has been disbursed.
- The deadline expired at the end of 2025, but funds can still be drawn down until the end of 2028.
The National Convention on the European Union published a report on May 29 that, days before the Tivat summit, lays bare how far Serbia has fallen behind its own commitments under the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. As of March 31, 2026, the reform completion rate stood at 18 percent, meaning only six of the 34 planned steps had been delivered while 28 remained unfulfilled.
The number is not abstract. Behind it sits 1.586 billion euros allocated to Serbia through an instrument that ties EU financial support to specific reforms, of which only 56.5 million euros net has reached Belgrade so far. The deadline for meeting the obligations expired on December 31, 2025, though the funds can still be drawn down until the end of 2028, leaving a real risk that part of the money goes unused.
Where is Serbia falling furthest behind?
The poorest result was recorded in the area of rule of law, where just one of thirteen planned steps has been completed. The report’s authors single out this segment for the sharpest assessment.
The area with the worst results and with findings that point to active backsliding.
That phrasing is unusual for a document of this kind, and it reads more as a warning than as plain statistics. Rule of law is the backbone of the entire Growth Plan, because the chapters on the judiciary, anti-corruption efforts and the independence of institutions all hinge on it. When precisely that part stalls, the pace of disbursement for the remaining funds is thrown into doubt.
Reform progress across the other areas is uneven. Some steps show advancement, others have barely begun, but the total of six completed steps leaves Serbia well below the level needed to draw on the available money in full. The National Convention, a platform of civil society organisations that monitors the talks with the Union, timed its findings to land just before the regional leaders meet.
What is the government planning before the summit?
The top of the executive branch has also responded ahead of the Tivat summit. Prime Minister Djuro Macut ordered additional effort in several key sectors on June 2, stating that continued reforms are essential to activate the Growth Plan funds.
The prime minister directed that extra work toward three areas:
- energy, a sector that directly shapes the investment framework
- internal affairs, where alignment with Union standards is expected
- the judiciary, flagged in the report as the most problematic of all
The timeline speaks for itself. The report noting 18 percent completion appeared on May 29, the prime minister’s order followed on June 2, and all of it lands immediately before the regional summit. The open question is whether a last-minute push is enough to make up for the missed 2025 deadline, or whether the move is primarily a political signal ahead of the Tivat meeting.
Growth Plan funds are not a guaranteed grant. They follow delivery, not the promise of delivery, and that is the heart of the gap between the 56.5 million euros that has arrived and the 1.586 billion that remains on the table. The coming months will show whether Serbia can move the needle past 18 percent before the 2028 deadline begins to bite.
Do you think Serbia can close the reform gap before the deadline to draw down the EU Growth Plan funds expires?
