Netherlands will block Serbia’s next step towards EU membership

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp announced that the Netherlands will block the next steb of Serbia’s progression toward European Union membership, citing concerns about the country’s readiness for the next stage in the accession process. The NSC politician is in Brussels for meetings with his counterparts in the other EU Member States, and Veldkamp made his remark when speaking with journalists after the first round of discussions on Monday.

"We see that there is insufficient progress in the area of ​​the rule of law in Serbia," Veldkamp told reporters. "At the same time, we see insufficient progress in the relationship between Belgrade and Pristina," he said, making reference to the capitals of both Serbia and Kosovo. "Serbia also has a clear responsibility there. We see that Serbia is still not sufficiently aligning its foreign policy with EU foreign policy."

Serbia has yet to recognize the independence of Kosovo, which was declared in 2008, considering it to be an autonomous province. Veldkamp plans to press the case for Dutch opposition during a meeting with EU foreign ministers on Tuesday, when the progress of candidate countries will be on the agenda. Veldkamp wants to convince other governments in Europe to also take a stand "so that the Netherlands does not have to stand alone," he said. "We really want to put pressure on Serbia now."

But, he also does not have a problem with being the only country to potentially stand in opposition. "I think it is important that we attach importance to the development of the rule of law. Looking at the worrying developments in Hungary and partly in Slovakia, it is logical that we can really impose demands on a candidate member state in the area of ​​the rule of law," Veldkamp stated. The European Union must be prevented from being weakened rather than strengthened, Veldkamp stressed.

Serbia first applied for membership almost exactly 15 years ago, and the country was given candidate status in March 2012. Negotiations between the bloc and Serbia have been ongoing for 11 years. Veldkamp noted that other candidate EU Member States have done a better job of taking the EU's foreign policy position. "So we really expect more steps from Serbia in the coming period." Serbia is one of ten current candidates trying to join the EU.

Last week, during a parliamentary debate, it emerged that a wide range of Dutch political parties stand opposed to opening up the next step in the European Union accession process to Serbia at this time. MP Kati Piri put forward a motion stating that the “EU accession process must be based on results achieved and that the rule of law is an important part of this,” which went on to state that Serbia has made “insufficient progress” regarding this issue.

The motion was adopted unanimously in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament. During the debate, Veldkamp indicated that he also found the rule of law “to be very important in policy.” The minister added that he was committed to putting forward this perspective during European Union meetings.

Piri represents left-wing opposition party GroenLinks-PvdA in the Tweede Kamer. Her motion was joined by right-wing VVD MP Thom van Campen. The VVD is in a coalition with Veldkamp's party, as well as the PVV and BBB.

The European Commission publishes annual reports about the enlargement process to assess the progress of candidate countries, with evaluations on reforms and compliance with EU criteria in areas such as rule of law, economic policy, and governance. Over the past year, several candidate countries were assessed to have made significant strides toward alignment with EU standards, as noted in the Commission’s latest reports.