The European Union has frozen funds earmarked for Serbia under a special aid project for six Balkan countries over controversial judicial reforms, the bloc’s enlargement commissioner has said.

The EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans provides six billion euros in funding for 2024–2027 to boost the  economies of these countries and accelerate EU integration of the region.

“For the time being, we have stopped all payments from the Growth Plan because it was backsliding in the judiciary,” EU commissioner Marta Kos said late Thursday in Switzerland.

“As long as this is not repaired, they will not be able to get European financial support,” she told an event at the University of Fribourg.

Her remarks came after Serbia’s parliament passed judicial reforms without consulting prosecutors, judges, the European Union or other expert bodies.

Critics say the amendments, passed in January, give court presidents greater powers over judges and remove safeguards guaranteeing prosecutors’ independence, raising concerns in the EU and the Council of Europe.

The changes come amid several high-profile corruption investigations targeting senior government and ruling party officials.

EU suspends funds for Serbia over law reforms • Brussels said that Belgrade has been backsliding on judicial independence