- The EU decided not to open Cluster 3 in negotiations with Serbia, and Serbia decided not to participate in the EU–Western Balkans summit
On the evening of 16 December, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, announced that no Serbian official would represent Serbia at the EU–Western Balkans summit on 17 December in Brussels.
“For the first time in the past 13 or 14 years, neither I nor anyone else will go to this intergovernmental conference. No one will represent the Republic of Serbia, so the Western Balkans will be left without the Republic of Serbia,” Vučić said on RTS. “I believe that by this step I am protecting Serbia and its interests, because we must show what we have done, and we have done a lot,” the president emphasized, apparently referring to the fact that Serbia once again failed to open Cluster 3 in negotiations with the European Union.
Ahead of the Western Balkans–EU summit, the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, stated that “the behavior of the Union toward Serbia is shameful and unfair.” In his view, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić “did the right thing by not taking part in this farce.”
The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, supported this position. He stated that he “especially supports Vučić” and that “although Serbia is one of the best-prepared countries, more and more conditions are being invented for its accession to the EU.”
In recent weeks, Serbian officials made significant efforts to open Cluster 3 in negotiations with the EU, but on 16 December, at a meeting of the General Affairs Council of the European Union (GAC) under the presidency of Denmark, consensus on this decision was not reached.
As Serbian media reported, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, as well as Germany opposed Serbia opening Cluster 3. France and Italy, by contrast, supported opening it and at the end of November sent a letter to other member states to give Serbia a “green light” to open Cluster 3.
In the Conclusions adopted following the meeting, the EU General Affairs Council stated: “Recognizing the European Commission’s assessment that Serbia maintains its level of preparedness according to the initial criteria in Cluster 3, the Council will return to the question of opening this cluster in line with the negotiating framework, while particularly recalling the need for significant further progress on the rule of law and the normalization of relations with Kosovo, which will continue to determine the overall pace of accession negotiations.”
The Council also reiterated its expectation that Serbia intensify its efforts toward full alignment, primarily by complying with EU restrictive measures against Russia and Belarus adopted in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Due to Hungary’s blocking, the GAC Conclusions on EU enlargement policy were adopted in the form of Conclusions of the EU Presidency (Denmark), supported by the other 26 EU member states.
- The “Western Balkans Democracy and Prosperity Act” adopted in the United States
The U.S. Congress adopted, and President Donald Trump signed, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026. The bill authorizes spending of more than USD 900 billion and covers all aspects of defense policy. Part of the document is the “Western Balkans Democracy and Prosperity Act,” which establishes new legal parameters for the presence of the United States in the region. In this way, the U.S. Western Balkans strategy has been transformed from a political declaration into binding federal law, requiring the State Department to report regularly to Congress.
The Act is directed at the six Western Balkan countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
The document (as experts claim, for the first time) codifies U.S. sanctions aimed at individuals and entities that undermine peace and stability in the Western Balkans.
The Act defines as priorities projects aimed at developing democracy and economic prosperity, measures to combat corruption, strengthening the rule of law, supporting investments, as well as youth programs, educational and exchange initiatives. This is intended to curb the brain drain from the region and support the formation of a new generation of leaders.
The final provisions of the document focus on countering the malicious influence of Russia and China in the region, aimed at undermining democratic institutions, fostering political instability, and posing a threat to the interests of the United States and NATO. A number of government agencies are tasked with preparing a report for Congress on the scale and forms of such malicious influence.
- Serbia maintains a ban on ammunition exports introduced at Russia’s request
This became known from an interview given to the Russian agency TASS by Yuri Pilipson, Director of the Second European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
“The ban on the export of ammunition to dubious counterparties introduced by the Serbian authorities remains in force, despite attempts by unscrupulous clients to circumvent it. We appreciate the principled position of the Serbian leadership in this regard,” Pilipson told journalists on 21 December.
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service accused Serbia in May and June of this year of exporting weapons to Ukraine. In response, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić stated that Serbia had stopped exporting ammunition. “We have now stopped everything. There must be special decisions if something is to function. Ammunition goes to our barracks and our warehouses,” Vučić said at a meeting of the extended collegium of the General Staff on 23 June.
In the autumn of the same year, the President of Serbia, in an interview with a German outlet, proposed that the European Union buy out all available stockpiled products even if the ammunition could end up in Ukraine. However, this proposal was evidently not implemented.
- Serbia agreed with Russia on gas supplies
“We have an agreement to extend gas supplies for another three months, until 31 March, so that people can be safe and sleep peacefully,” President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić announced on 23 December.
He emphasized that Serbia will have enough gas for the upcoming winter season.
The current gas agreement was due to run until the New Year, and it is now evidently a short-term extension. Expectations regarding the signing of a new long-term contract have not yet been met, leaving Russia with leverage to pressure Belgrade.
- Montenegro restored a visa-free regime for Turkish citizens
On 23 December, the Government of Montenegro adopted a decision to abolish the visa regime for citizens of Turkey, which had been introduced on a temporary basis almost two months earlier. At the same time, the rules were changed: the permitted length of stay was reduced from 90 to 30 days as a measure to prevent illegal migration.
Prime Minister Milojko Spajić announced on X that the decision to return to a visa-free regime for Turkish citizens was the result of intensive and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. “Cooperation with the Turkish authorities has improved, enhanced security and migration checks have been introduced,” Spajić noted.
At the same time, the Government of Montenegro decided that by 15 January a visa regime would be introduced for citizens of Azerbaijan.
The reason for the temporary introduction of visas with Turkey was an incident that occurred on 25 October in the Podgorica neighborhood of Zabjelo, when an attack on a resident of Podgorica was committed. Information surfaced that citizens of Turkey were involved in the crime. After the incident in Zabjelo, a series of xenophobic incidents occurred across the country. Meanwhile, the investigation established that the attack on the Podgorica resident was committed by two citizens of Azerbaijan, not Turkey.
Despite the context, the current decisions to restore visa-free travel while shortening the permitted stay for Turkish citizens and introducing visas for citizens of Azerbaijan are presented by the Government of Montenegro primarily as part of a broader package of measures to harmonize visa policy with the EU. “In order to fulfill its obligations regarding EU membership, the Government of Montenegro will continue its activities aimed at full harmonization with the visa policy of the European Union in the near period,” the government stated. This concerns meeting the requirements of the final benchmark of negotiating Chapter 24 (Justice, Freedom and Security).
In accordance with EU requirements, Montenegro was to introduce visas not only for citizens of Azerbaijan, but also to abandon the visa-free regime with Turkey, Russia, Belarus, and China. It is envisaged that these decisions will be adopted within two years.
- The opposition in Albania demands the resignation of the government
On 22 December in Tirana, several hundred supporters of the opposition Democratic Party held a large-scale protest against the government of Edi Rama near the prime minister’s residence. The demonstrators demanded the resignation of the government and the formation of a transitional technical cabinet due to a series of corruption scandals in the highest echelons of power.
During his speech to protesters, Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha called the protest the beginning of a prolonged campaign of civil disobedience.
The action was accompanied by clashes with the police. Flares, explosive devices, and Molotov cocktails were thrown toward the government building. As a result of the incidents, three police officers were injured and taken to hospital, where they received medical assistance. One protester and a photographer were also injured.
After the rally, Tirana police arrested four people. Another seven individuals are under investigation without being detained.
The protest organized by the Democratic Party took place a few days after chaos in the Albanian parliament.
On 18 December, representatives of the Democratic Party blocked the rostrum and physically occupied seats intended for members of the government in order to prevent ministers from delivering reports. Members of the Republican Guard opposed the deputies, attempting to push the protesters away from the government seats.
During their protest, opposition lawmakers used pyrotechnics, lighting smoke bombs and flares. Despite the parliamentary hall quickly filling with dense smoke, representatives of the ruling Socialist Party refused to interrupt the session. They continued consideration of the agenda and voting on draft laws at an accelerated pace.
Political tensions in Albania escalated due to accusations by the Special Structure against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) against Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure Belinda Balluku, who is suspected of misusing public funds during the implementation of major infrastructure projects. The opposition considers the Balluku case an example of systemic corruption.
SPAK officially requested that parliament lift Balluku’s immunity so that she could be arrested. However, the vote did not take place due to the position of the ruling Socialist Party.
