In this document, we analyse the implementation of the two priority recommendations addressed to Serbia by the Council of Europe’s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) in its 2024 report. The recommendations concern the submission of a draft law on same-sex partnerships to the National Assembly and the preparation of a comprehensive study on the forms, sources and impact of hate speech.
Based on official documents, reports by national and international institutions and civil society organisations, and our direct involvement in preparing the draft law on same-sex partnerships, our assessment is that neither recommendation has been implemented. We highlight the failure of the competent authorities to take key steps, the risk of further delays in establishing a legal framework for same-sex partnerships, and the need for measures to combat hate speech to be informed by a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon and its consequences.
Alongside an assessment of implementation, the document proposes questions for further follow-up. These concern the timeline for submitting the draft law to the National Assembly, plans for conducting the study on hate speech, its methodology and funding, and the measures that should follow from its findings.
We prepared the submission at ECRI’s invitation and submitted it in March 2026 as part of the interim follow-up process on the implementation of the priority recommendations addressed to Serbia.