Politico: European People’s Party Expected to Decide on Serbian Progressive Party in Early December

The European People's Party (EPP) is expected to decide at a meeting of its Political Assembly in early December whether to take a tougher stance on its associate member, the Serbian Progressive Party, the Brussels-based Politico reported on Nov. 6.

In September 2025, the Party launched an internal review of the Serbian Progressives’ role to determine whether the party complied with the core values of the largest political group in the European Parliament. The EPP Political Assembly is scheduled for Dec. 7 and 8. "Things are not looking good for the Serbian Progressive Party. They promised to address certain issues, and there was a deadline for taking steps and fulfilling commitments, but those commitments have not been met," a senior EPP official said on condition of anonymity.

Some EPP members believe Serbia should not be isolated and that the Progressives should remain within the political family, but under stricter scrutiny, Politico reported. Another senior EPP official said there were now two options: to lay out the conditions under which the Serbian party could stay in the EPP or expel it.

A spokesperson for the EPP said the process was "ongoing." The internal review was launched in response to the crackdown on participants in student and civil protests. Following its Political Assembly meeting in September, the EPP expressed deep concern over the state honors and attendance of senior Serbian officials at the funeral of Ratko Mladic, who was convicted of genocide and other war crimes during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and died serving a life sentence in The Hague.