FT has learned that Serbia has postponed plans to simplify the issuance of citizenship

Serbia has postponed the billto simplify the issuance of citizenship after the reaction of the European Union.The amendments proposed to reduce the required period of residence in the country from five years to one year.Belgrade,Serbia

Serbia has shelved plans to simplify citizenship procedures after the European Union threatened to suspend Belgrade's visa-free regime, the Financial Times reported.

This is a bill that the Serbian government presented in April. Under current rules, in order for a foreigner to apply for citizenship, he must live in the country for at least five years. The bill  also proposed to simplify the procedure and reduce the period of residence to one year. The amendments apply to foreigners who work in local companies or are self-employed.

The bill was part of a major reform aimed at attracting highly qualified personnel to Serbia in order to stimulate the economy and reduce the population.

However, the European Commission warned that if this document is adopted, it may suspend the visa-free regime with Serbia in order to "prevent and mitigate possible risks to the EU's security." The EC said in a statement that European authorities last year gave "clear recommendations" to Belgrade "to refuse or refrain from accepting citizenship by investment schemes," writes the FT. A source in the Serbian government noted that the bill was "only a proposal" that "was not adopted."

In April, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic noted that the country's economy benefited from the influx of Russians. According to her, a lot of highly qualified and young personnel, in particular engineers, come to Serbia from RUSSIA. They start paying taxes in Serbia and have skills that are in demand for the development of the Serbian IT-sphere, and Belgrade, for its part, offers them benefits. But it's not just the economy that attracts immigrants from Russia , Brnabic said. According to her, Russian youth "do not feel welcome in other countries."

Serbia is one of the few European countries that did not impose sanctions against Russia after the start of the special operation in Ukraine . The EU has repeatedly called on Belgrade to join the restrictive measures, but the Serbian authorities stressed that they do not consider such methods to be effective. The Kremlin noted that they appreciate the position of Serbia, which it continues to adhere to under the conditions of "unprecedented, stupid, illegal" pressure.

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