EC Report: Every second company in Serbia has problem with corruption

In its 2025 Rule of Law Report for Serbia, the European Commission (EC) says that every second company in Serbia has a problem with corruption in its operations, reports Forbes Serbia. The report says that, as regards businesses, 84% of companies consider that corruption is widespread (EU average 63%) and 53% consider that corruption is a problem when doing business (EU average 35%).

Furthermore, 26% of respondents find that there are enough successful prosecutions to deter people from corrupt practices (EU average 36%). Having analyzed Serbia’s anti-corruption framework, as a field which affects the economy to a great extent, the EC concludes in the report that the perception among experts, citizens and business executives is that the level of corruption in the public sector remained high.

They also remind that, in the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International, Serbia scores 35/100 and ranks 105th globally.

– This perception has remained relatively stable over the past five years, while it is the lowest score recorded for Serbia. The 2025 Special Eurobarometer on Corruption shows that 85% of respondents consider corruption widespread in their country (EU average 69%) and 31% of respondents feel personally affected by corruption in their daily lives (EU average 30%) – the EC says in its report.

The EC also reminds that the National Anti-Corruption Strategy for the period of 2024-2028 was adopted in July 2024, followed by 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 not comprehensively address the GRECO recommendations of the 4th and 5th evaluation rounds – the EC says.

Republička komisija za zaštitu prava u postupcima javnih nabavki Republika Srbija

Komisija za zaštitu konkurencije Srbije

European Commission

Republic Commission for Protection of Rights in Public Procurement Procedures

Commission for Protection of Competition

corruption in Serbia