IMPULSE Keeping Focus: Reporting developments in Serbia Assessment of the Implementation of Serbia’s Commitments for Opening Cluster 3: Far From Promised Reforms Overall assessment: ɂ Serbia has not fulfilled its commitments regarding the pace of accession negotiations or reforms in fundamental areas, including electoral conditions. ɂ Serbia has taken some steps toward meeting its commitments on foreign policy, but key issues in these areas remain unresolved. ɂ Several specific commitments in the areas of energy and the visa regime have been largely fulfilled. In November and December 2024, the Government of Serbia made efforts to open Cluster 3 in its negotiations with the European Union. The previous time Serbia opened a cluster of negotiating chapters was in December 2021(Cluster 4). In the following years, the European Commission continued to assess in its reports that Serbia was technically ready to open Cluster 3, but no consensus was reached in the Council of the European Union. To obtain the green light from the Council last year, Serbia submitted a non-paper outlining additional political commitments relevant to its EU accession process. This attempt was not successful in 2024 and, as of early December 2025, Serbia has still not opened any new clusters. The non-paper submitted by the Serbian Government was reported on in the media and included commitments relating to overall accession progress, fundamentals, and areas such as energy and good neighbourly relations. Below is an assessment of the fulfilment of each commitment one year later. Assessment of the Implementation of Serbia’s Commitments for Opening Cluster 3: Far From Promised Reforms 1