Serbia is again knocking on the door of the European Union, but this time a blow is being prepared from the inside. The Netherlands is preparing to block the opening of the new negotiating phase - the so-called "Cluster 3" - over concerns about the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and human rights. And since every step requires the consent of all 27 member states, one is enough to say no.

The reasons are not pulled out of thin air. A confidential European Commission report points to "pressure on civil organizations and journalists" and "smear campaigns" against those demanding reforms. There is no progress in the major corruption cases either - including the investigation into the collapse of the railway station canopy in Novi Sad, in which 16 people died. Then there is the January legislation, which legal experts say undermines the independence of the judiciary.

And, of course, there is Russia. While Ukraine and Moldova wait for formal negotiations, Serbia maintains close ties with Moscow - something part of Brussels no longer wishes to ignore. The Netherlands is not alone; the blockade is backed by at least two more member states.

Belgrade responds with the usual vocabulary. Foreign Minister Marko Djuric claims that "the latest legislative and institutional steps strengthen the rule of law." Integration Minister Nemanja Starovic complained that "Serbia has been stuck at this point for almost five years now." Every government that has stood before the European door knows this sentence - the blame is always with others, never with the mirror.

For the whole region, this is a familiar and painful picture. The Balkans have stood in the same waiting room for decades, and the door opens just enough not to close entirely. The question we rarely ask out loud is whether the problem lies only with Brussels changing the conditions, or also with the fact that at home reforms stay on paper while officials look for who else is to blame. Europe asks for evidence, not statements - and evidence is built at home, not in press releases.