Serbia could lose up to 1.5 billion euros from European Union funds due to concerns over democratic backsliding, controversial judicial reforms, and close ties with Russia.

The European Commission is considering suspending funding for the country, which has been in accession talks since 2014. Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos expressed alarm: "We are increasingly concerned about what is happening in Serbia - from laws that undermine the independence of the judiciary to the suppression of protests and renewed interference with independent media."

The Venice Commission is expected to issue an expert assessment of the controversial legal changes by the end of the month, and two EU officials suggest that this opinion could prompt the Commission to freeze funding.

Serbia has received over 586 million euros in grants since 2021 and has access to 1.5 billion euros in conditional reform-linked aid. In total, the country has received more than 7 billion euros from the EU since 2000.

Additional concerns include Serbia's balancing act between EU alignment and maintaining close ties with Moscow, as well as recent electoral irregularities, police raids on universities, and mass student protests.