This is a budget that finally treats enlargement as what it is - a strategic investment in Europe’s peace, security and resilience.

🌍 The Global Europe fund will double to €200 billion, with €43 billion earmarked for countries in the Western Balkans and Eastern Neighbourhood.
A dedicated €100 billion Ukraine Fund will support reforms, reconstruction and EU accession.

🇪🇺 The European Commission’s 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) makes enlargement a central part of Europe’s geopolitical strategy - backed by real money, not just promises.

💰 For the first time since the “big bang” EU enlargement, the European Union is visibly making room in its long-term budget for new Member States. It repositions enlargement as a real budgetary commitment, not just a distant aspiration.

➡️ To truly support democratic change in Serbia, the EU should strengthen its ties with pro-democratic and pro-European political opposition and civil society, ensuring that any future government will see the EU as an ally.

➡️ At the same time, a wind of change is visible in the EU’s approach to Serbia, as EU institutions and representatives grow more vocal and critical of the country’s serious democratic backsliding.

➡️ While the continued protests calling for change signal a clear civic awakening, this momentum is being met with growing repression and deepening authoritarianism.

➡️ Serbian citizens increasingly feel their country is heading in the wrong direction. They see corruption as Serbia’s main problem, and 64% of citizens believe that snap parliamentary elections could offer a way out of the long-running crisis.

European Parliament, Oct 2000:
“The visit to Biarritz (EU summit) of the newly elected President Kostunica which has formally brought Yugoslavia back into the European family and put an end to the isolation of that country.”

Günter Verheugen, EU Commissioner for Enlargement:
“The EU has always made it clear that the Serbian people have as much right to be in Europe as any of the other people of Europe. …We made it clear that any decision in favour of democratic change would also be a decision to return to Europe.”

Jacques Chirac, President of France:
“The European Union will continue to stand by your side to support the consolidation of the democratic process in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and its return to the European family.”

Javier Solana, EU’s High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy:
“President Milosevic robbed his people of their freedom. This is what we must say and we must do everything we can to prevent it from happening again.”

Romano Prodi, President of European Commission:
“Europe stands ready to welcome the new Serbia with open arms.[...] Serbia is Europe. The road to peace and reconciliation is now open, leaving violence and hatred behind.”

The EU leaders openly supported Vojislav Koštunica as the newly elected President and all EU institutions expressed their readiness to reintegrate Serbia among European states as soon as there is a democratic change.

The 🇪🇺 Union offered immediate lifting of sanctions, a package of economic aid that helped the Serbian people to rebuild their economy, and a closer relationship with the EU including at the highest political level.

The vast majority of protesters - and of Serbian society - want a European path. Over the past months, they’ve looked to Brussels, not to other capitals in the East. Their message is simple: they want democracy, rule of law, and a future rooted in freedom and Europe. 👇

Support for the EU is not only returning - it’s rising, driven by a renewed desire for democratic values, rule of law, and a future rooted in freedom. 👇