Issue for June 23, 2026

Serbia privatized NIS and the controlling stake moved to the Russian side. From that point on, ownership in NIS became not only a business question but also part of Serbia's relations with Russia, the EU, and the United States.

US sanctions against NIS became a practical threat to the company's operations and required special OFAC licenses so that NIS could continue operating while a solution on ownership was being sought.

MOL and Gazprom Neft announced a preliminary framework for the purchase of 56.15 percent of NIS, but the transaction remained dependent on OFAC, regulatory approvals, and a final sale contract.

Serbia and MOL announced a compromise on the shareholder agreement: Serbia gets additional governance rights, the Pančevo refinery is supposed to keep operating, and the key immediate deadline remains June 16, 2026. Later the minister clarified that Serbia had completed its part, but the deal now depends on Gazprom Neft, MOL, and the United States; evening N1 and Danas items stressed that without a statute change, the extra five percent of shares is not the same as control.

Forbes/N1 checked Ranko Mimović's company, which Reuters had linked on May 6 to a EUR 2 billion offer to buy NIS. KFT Senator Treasury G.T.7 Dva had its account blocked six times in half a year at the Tax Administration's initiative, and on May 28 a first court dispute for RSD 98,496 was opened against it; this deepened doubts around alternative Serbian offers for NIS.

021, citing RTS, carried Jelica Putniković's assessment that the key decision is expected on Tuesday, June 16, when existing NIS licenses expire. She tied the outcome to OFAC consent, concrete contracts, possible governance changes, and the future of the Pančevo refinery.

Serbia and MOL signed a shareholder agreement on the future management of NIS. It depends on MOL's final deal with Gazprom Neft for 56.15 percent of NIS and OFAC approval; the same day Vučić said he expects the NIS license to be extended by 15 days.

Dubravka Đedović Handanović said that after the agreement with MOL, the Serbian side has completed its part of the talks, while the final NIS sale now depends on Gazprom Neft, MOL, and whether the solution is acceptable to OFAC.

021 reported that OFAC extended NIS's operating license and MOL's license for negotiations on buying the Russian stake until July 1, temporarily preserving the company's operations and oil refining after the previous June 16 deadline.

Danas reported that on July 1 NIS's operating license for importing oil via JANAF and the Gazprom Neft-MOL negotiation license expire; NIS filed a new request, while Serbia's authorities told the IMF they have fallback executive and legal measures if talks fail. N1 later added that the talks are unfolding amid Hungarian political-legal risks around MOL: the European arrest warrant for Zsolt Hernadi remains valid, and MOL's excess-profit tax is being expanded.

The US extended NIS's operating license for another 30 days, until July 31. According to Danas/BBC and Novosti, this keeps the company operating, fuel supplies flowing, and crude oil processing continuing at the Pančevo refinery; later, N1 and Danas added that JANAF received a license until July 31 for deliveries to NIS, while MOL received a license until July 31, 2026 to continue talks on the majority Russian stake.

OFAC extended NIS’s operating licence, MOL’s licence to negotiate with Gazprom Neft over the Russian majority stake, and JANAF’s licence to transport oil for NIS until 28 August. This keeps crude procurement, deliveries and Pančevo refining running, but does not complete the ownership transaction.

The ministry said the low Danube is complicating fuel-product supplies. NIS expects to increase crude processing in the second half of August from about 9,500 to about 13,000 tonnes a day once already ordered deliveries arrive; the authorities plan to make about 23,000 tonnes of operational reserves available to other companies. Imports of about 20,000 tonnes of diesel by water remain uncertain.

Serbia last opened new EU negotiation chapters in December 2021; that fact again became part of the dispute around Cluster 3.

Parliament adopted amendments to five judicial laws on MP Ugljesa Mrdic's proposal; professional groups and the EU later criticized them as a risk to prosecutorial autonomy and judicial independence.

The Venice Commission published an urgent opinion on the January amendments and issued seven key recommendations to address the shortcomings.

The Justice Ministry sent improved working drafts of the judicial-law amendments to parliament for transmission to Venice Commission rapporteurs.

Ana Brnabic said the Venice Commission gave a positive opinion on the package, that the amendments would go to parliament next week, and that she expects Cluster 3 to open soon.

The Venice Commission published its follow-up opinion: Serbia implemented seven of nine recommendations, but two key areas - the return of two organized-crime prosecutors and autonomy for the cybercrime unit - are not fully implemented.

Parliament put amendments to five judicial laws on an extraordinary session agenda, including laws on public prosecution, judges, the High Prosecutorial Council, court and prosecutor territories, and bodies for fighting high-tech crime.

VST decided to assign Irena Bjelos, Aleksandar Barac, and Boris Majlat to TOK for three years; the decision for Bjelos and Barac passed with nine votes in favor and one abstention, while Majlat's passed with eight in favor, one against, and one abstention.

Platforma za evropsku Srbiju informed EU institutions of allegedly different judicial-law texts for the Venice Commission and parliament; the Justice Ministry rejected the claims of differences.

At the extraordinary session on 32 agenda items, parliament debated 37 amendments to the key judicial laws in the Mrdic package. N1 reports that opposition amendments were rejected; the sitting ended at about 18:00 and is scheduled to continue on June 24 at 10:00.

Parliament finished detailed debate on all 32 items of the extraordinary session; voting, including on the judicial-law package, is scheduled for June 25 at 10:00.

Parliament adopted a package of five judicial laws, and the government formed a negotiating team for Serbia's inclusion in the EU 'Roam Like at Home' regime.

Dubravka Valić Nedeljković said four elected REM Council members whose resignations were not verified by parliament are ready to return only with guarantees: the ninth member should be chosen after national-council elections, and Ištvan Bodžoni should not be on the candidate harmonization list.

RFE/RL/N1/Danas reported that the Netherlands officially opposes opening Cluster 3 with Serbia, while diplomatic sources say at least five EU states oppose it, including three Baltic states and Sweden.

Four independent REM Council members said they decided to take up work after parliament adopted an authentic interpretation of the Electronic Media Law; their earlier resignation statements were interpreted as having no independent legal effect because they had not taken office.

The European Parliament's official X account posted its position on the rule of law, democratic standards, free and fair elections, and normalization of relations with Kosovo. The post was not a new negotiating decision.

European Parliament rapporteur Tonino Picula told N1 that the preparation, conduct, and aftermath of future elections would be an important criterion in assessing Brussels' relations with Belgrade. He also judged opening Cluster 3 unlikely; this is his assessment, not a new EU decision.

The European Commission published Serbia's chapter in its annual Rule of Law Report. It cites political pressure on courts and prosecutors, problems with implementing the anti-corruption plan, REM, and journalist safety; it is not a decision to open a negotiation cluster.