EC Report: One in Two Companies in Serbia Has Problem with Corruption

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In its chapter on Serbia, the European Commission's 2026 Rule of Law Report states that one in two companies in Serbia has a problem with corruption, Forbes Serbia reported on July 9.

The report notes that 84 percent of respondents heading up companies in Serbia believe corruption to be widespread, in contrast with the European Union average of 63 percent, while 53 percent believe corruption to be a problem when doing business (the EU average is 35 percent), Forbes Serbia reported. At the same time, 26 percent of respondents believe there to be enough successful prosecutions to deter people from corruptive acts, while the EU average on this is 36 percent.

Analyzing Serbia's framework to fight corruption as an area with a great impact on business, the EC's Report notes that the perception among experts, citizens and business executives is that the level of corruption in the public sector remains high. "The 2025 Special Eurobarometer on Corruption shows that 85 percent of respondents consider corruption widespread in their country (EU average 69 percent) and 31 percent of respondents feel personally affected by corruption in their daily lives (EU average 30 percent)," the Report states. 

The EC recalled that Serbia adopted the 2024-2028 National Anti-Corruption Strategy in July last year and an accompanying action plan. "However, the activities included in the Action Plan are to some extent narrower in terms of addressing the corruption problems and challenges identified in the Strategy and does [sic] not comprehensively address the GRECO recommendations of the fourth and fifth evaluation rounds," the EC Report states.