Commitment: Election of the new REM Council by January 2025 The political controversy surrounding the nine-member REM Council concerns the ruling party’s undue influence over its decision-making, contrary to the longstanding recommendations of institutions such as ODIHR and European Commission. REM has a wide-ranging authority regarding the work of electronic media in Serbia. After the parliament adopted a new Law on Electronic Media in 2023, a new REM Council was supposed to be elected by November 2024. However, the election process began only after a months-long delay. Civil society organizations(most notably Civic Initiatives) assessed that the ruling party had attempted to maintain its influence over the Council through GONGOs that nominated numerous candidates, in some cases illegally. The election process launched in November 2024 was cancelled in April 2025, following the pressure from the public and the EU. A new process was launched and once again saw long delays. As of December 2025, it has still not been completed because, in November 2025, the ruling majority refused to elect the ninth member of the Council. According to analysts, electing the ninth member from among the two remaining nominees would have resulted in a REM majority independent of the ruling party. The process of electing the ninth member was subsequently relaunched, with different candidates, including one perceived to be close to the ruling parties, nominated. Independent candidates withdrew on several occasions during both processes due to what they described as procedural violations and have indicated that they are prepared to withdraw again following the failed election of the ninth member. As of December 2025, this commitment has still not been implemented Commitment: Accelerating efforts to carry out the audit of the Voter Registry in the first quarter of 2025 Mistrust in the accuracy of the voter registry has become one of the main issues of the election process in Serbia in recent years. The parliament adopted the revised Law on the Voter Registry only in November 2025. The drafting process lasted more than a year and was marked by the ruling party’s rejection of numerous proposals from civil society organizations. Increased pressure from the EU in October 2025 led to a final version of the law that more closely reflected the CSOs’ proposals. The election watchdog Crta, while agreeing with the final text in principle, expressed doubts about whether it would be implemented in good faith. A Crta nominee is a member of the 10-person Commission for the Revision of the Voter Register, which is still being formed. This commitment has not been implemented, as the audit of the voter registry has not yet begun; only the new law providing the basis for the audit has been adopted. Commitment: Full and timely implementation of ODIHR recommendations regarding elections There is no data on the state of the implementation of ODIHR recommendations. Parliamentary working group for implementing ODIHR recommendation, which was set up in the spring of 2024, was effectively dissolved in January 2025 when the majority of opposition and CSO representatives left it. According to Crta, isolated local elections held in 2025 featured strong indication of the abuse of state resources by the ruling parties and intimidation attempts against voters and independent observers. Elections in the municipality of Mionica in November 2025 saw serious violence. EU Delegation to Serbia requested a full investigation into these cases. No data on formal implementation. Conduct of elections in practice shows persisting serious issues. Commitments: Gas supply diversification – issuing a final permit for Bulgaria-Serbia gas interconnector(IBS); finalising the agreement with Romania for the construction of an interconnector; certifying Transportgas In January 2025, the gas interconnector between Serbia and Bulgaria(IBS) began commercial operations. “Transportgas Srbija” was certified in March 2025, unbundling it from“Srbijagas” as a part of the wider reform demanded by the Energy Community. A memorandum of understanding between Serbia and Romania for the construction of a gas interconnector was signed in August 2024. In July 2025, Minister of Energy stated that it could be finished in the next two and a half years. These steps have been largely completed. Assessment of the Implementation of Serbia’s Commitments for Opening Cluster 3: Far From Promised Reforms 3