Serbia is prepared to forgo veto rights and accept a form of second-tier European Union membership if it speeds up accession, officials say, signalling a shift in strategy after years of stalled talks.

Frustrated by the slow pace of enlargement more than two decades after the EU promised membership to the Western Balkans, Belgrade is backing a phased model that would integrate candidate states into the bloc’s single market and passport-free Schengen area before full institutional membership.

Marko Čadež, head of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, said on March 2 at the Kopaonik Business Forum (the Balkan Davos) that the region could soon gain an intermediate status within the EU.

“We can expect acceleration, but in a different way,” Čadež said, arguing that enlargement ultimately depends on political decisions in key EU capitals rather than purely technical reform benchmarks.

Under the proposal, countries judged ready could join the single market and Schengen zone without immediately receiving voting rights, a European commissioner or seats in the European Parliament.

President Aleksandar Vucic has repeatedly said Serbia would accept membership without veto powers over EU decisions if that would unlock faster integration. In a joint article published on February 28 in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Vucic and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama called for a “phased accession process” to avoid what they described as strategic drift in the Balkans.

Serbia became an EU candidate in 2012 and opened accession talks in 2014, but it has not opened a new negotiating chapter since 2021. Brussels says progress depends on stronger rule-of-law reforms and normalising ties with Kosovo. Balkan leaders believe the real obstacle is lack of political will in Brussels and concerns among EU member states about bloc unity. 

In December, EU officials declined to open Cluster 3 of negotiations with Serbia, underscoring how little momentum the process currently has. No Western Balkan country has joined the bloc since Croatia in 2013.

The EU remains Serbia’s dominant economic partner, accounting for nearly 70% of foreign direct investment inflows in 2025. But the prolonged accession process has pushed Belgrade to hedge, maintaining energy ties with Russia and attracting Chinese investment in mining, automotive manufacturing and infrastructure through the Belt and Road Initiative.

Officials in Brussels say Serbia sends mixed signals, backtracking on key rule of law issues related to judicial independence and media freedom. At the same time, Belgrade insists EU membership is its strategic goal and has sought to align economically, including by offering access to its lithium reserves despite domestic opposition and interest from Chinese firms.

Public enthusiasm has cooled. A Eurobarometer survey in September 2025 showed only 33% of Serbs support joining the EU, the lowest level in the Western Balkans.

After more than 20 years in the EU’s waiting room, Serbian officials say a stripped-down membership may be preferable to waiting indefinitely for full entry.